Follows The Jazzy Tracks
Sometimes old favourite artists disappear from the radar and you forget about them for a while. Sontiago was one of those artists, and I wanted to look her up to see what she had been up to. Much to my surprise she was just about to drop her first single in many years. Last week her single Muscle Car dropped on Endemik Music, and here she is herself.
To start it all off, would you mind telling us a little bit about yourself? Who is Sontiago and what is your background?
I am the youngest of three daughters and 14 cousins. I am the wife of jdwalker. I am the mother of 3 beloved cats. I was born in Pennsylvannia and grew up boating with my family off the Jersey Shore. I moved from there to Vermont, to Massachusetts, to Ohio, to North Carolina to Portland, Maine- which is where I have been for the last dozen years.
Rumors say that Ella Fitzgerald was somehow the kick start for your love for music. Is she and the school of music that she came from and represented still a big inspiration to you?
Absolutely. My father listened to a lot of big band and jazz. He and my grandmother brought me to see Ella Fitzgerald in concert in St. Petersburg, Florida when I was seven. Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding & Louie Prima are my go-to feel good music. They are soothing as background music and really evoke emotion when listened to loud. It’s an era I would have loved to experience. My mom on the other hand, was a lover of Willie Nelson, Julio Iglesias and James Taylor and my oldest sister was a huge John Cougar Mellencamp fan- so my exposure was pretty broad.
To most of us it’s been kind of quiet from you since you released Steel Yourself back in 2007. Can you tell us what you have been up to since then?
What haven’t I been up to? I rarely have a free moment. I work a full-time job, a part-time job and am a teaching artist to area youth. My biggest accomplishment this year has been a series of short biographical films from fifteen area teenagers who all relocated to Maine from other countries. It’s called The Whole World Waiting and is a collaboration between me and a local filmmaker, David Meiklejohn. He’s a genius. He’s also directing the video for my new single, Muscle Car.
What is your relationship to Moshe these days? Can we expect to hear some music coming from you two in the future?
We parted ways amicably years ago. You will not be hearing anything from us.
You
obviously are very influenced by poetry and soul, and sing just as much as you
rhyme. Is there any of these two expressions that you prefer before the other?
I pride myself on being a decent emcee. I've been doing it for 20 years. A cadence is a hard thing to find and keep and not everyone is fit for rapping, though many try. Without being self-deprecating, I don't consider myself a great singer. I can hold a tune, but there is nothing extraordinary about my voice. So I prefer when given a moment to shine- rapping over singing any day.
What do you wish to accomplish with your music?
Unlike where I was in my twenties, I am at a point in life where I no longer feel a need to defend myself or air my trials or tribulations to the world. Jason (jdwalker) and I have been together for 11 years, married for 7, we live in a great city, I work at my favorite non-profits in town, I have an incredible support system in my friends, family and community. I’ve matured and I can take care of myself entirely. Life is good and I wanted my music to reflect that. Therefore, I decided to have fun this time around. The new single is a different, more upbeat sound than what listeners might expect, but I think I achieved making accessible, listenable tracks without compromising quality. What I always hope to achieve with what I produce is for it to be music that a listener can go to and gain from.
What are you most proud of when it comes to your creative work? Are there any special memories that you would like to share with us?
I am most proud of trying new things, new sounds, new collaborations, new ways of performing. I am really proud of the people I manage to pair up with because they make me push harder and make my music better. Therese Workman, who is featured on the new single, is brilliant. Dilly Dilly can pick up any instrument and master is in minutes. alias has an inimitable ear for production and vocal mixing. I just did a show on my birthday in June where I performed with my friend Bianca who is a step dancer and she and her friend provided backing percussion with their bodies. That was a very special night. You can see it here:
Rounding up, any last words?
Thank you! Maybe one day I will make it to Sweden!
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