海角大神

Musician Santigold鈥檚 latest album features a song that seems perfect for lying in a hammock on a beach. The pop star sings a jaunty melody over the breezy patter of hand drums and a reggaeton synthetic bass line. But a closer listen shatters the idyllic illusion. The song, titled 鈥淣o Paradise,鈥� has lyrics that describe a populace suffering from systemic oppression. Yet it isn鈥檛 entirely bleak. It includes a recurring refrain: 鈥淭here鈥檚 power in our struggle.鈥澛�

鈥淭he power is from the growth that takes place in hardship,鈥� explains Santigold (whose birth name is Santi White) in a recent Zoom audio interview.聽

Her latest album, 鈥淪pirituals,鈥� which landed earlier this month, is a testament to fortitude. It鈥檚 the sixth release by the Los Angeles-based artist who first made a splash with her 2008 debut, 鈥淪antogold,鈥� a synthesis of indie rock, hip-hop, electronica, reggae, and new wave pop.聽

鈥淪pirituals鈥� was birthed during the 2020 lockdowns. It was, she recalls, a dark and heavy period in which she was in survival mode.聽

鈥淵ou get knocked down,鈥� she says. 鈥淛ust the strength that it takes to get back up, you鈥檙e learning about your own resilience as a human being and that you can actually make it through.鈥�

Getting beyond writer鈥檚 block聽

Even before the lockdown, Santigold had been struggling with writer鈥檚 block. The words used to come easily 鈥� whole songs written in the space of 10 minutes. The hit-maker behind songs such as 鈥淟.E.S. Artistes鈥� and 鈥淒isparate Youth鈥� is a sought-after collaborator, working with the likes of David Byrne, Jay-Z, Devo, and Tyler, the Creator. During the pandemic she was buoyed by the unexpected gift of being invited to record a duet on reggae pioneer U-Roy鈥檚 final album, 鈥淪olid Gold.鈥�

鈥淪he has such a brilliant emotive quality,鈥� write the album鈥檚 married producers, Zak Starkey (drummer for The Who) and Sharna 鈥淪shh鈥� Liguz, in a joint statement provided by their publicist. 鈥淪he鈥檚 punk rock, but soulful with authenticity and diversity that we admire and vibe off in a big way. It was awesome to have her collaborate on 鈥楳an Next Door鈥� with U-Roy. Her vocals were the perfect blend of haunting beauty to the big toast of Daddy U-Roy.鈥�

Santigold鈥檚 battle to create her own music was affected by looking after 2-year-old twins and a 6-year-old son. The closure of schools during the pandemic compounded the struggle.聽

鈥淚t felt suffocating, you know, just morning after night ... just cooking, cleaning, changing diapers,鈥� says Santigold. 鈥淣o time to think. No time to even shower.鈥�

Feeling increasingly disconnected from her artistic side, Santigold fought the urge to panic. She recalled a Joni Mitchell interview about fallow periods in which songwriters need time to gather new experiences and perspectives. Her creative pilot light hadn鈥檛 gone out. The events of 2020 鈥� the fear of disease, wildfires that colored the skies dark orange, and news reports of Black people killed by police 鈥� turned that flicker into a flame.聽

Heeding the urge to write, Santigold made a deal with her husband. She would cook dinner and then, while he and the children were eating and cleaning up afterward, she would go off and write. The songwriter immersed herself in a flow of inspiration.

鈥淎s an artist, when I create, often it just requires me to move myself out of the way so that I can receive ideas and messages from a higher version of myself or even, you know, the universe,鈥� she says.

Santigold had planned a North American tour to support the new album starting in October. But today she announced that she has canceled all her shows. In her interview with the Monitor earlier in the month, she said that touring has become unsustainable since the pandemic due to a combination of inflation and a glut of acts touring at the same time.

鈥淗ow could I release聽Spirituals, an album about honoring yourself and refusing to cross your own boundaries, and not take this opportunity to do just that for myself?鈥� she said in a letter to fans on her website.聽

Her songs on 鈥淪pirituals鈥� often focus on resilience in adverse circumstances.聽The first track on the album, 鈥淢y Horror,鈥� addresses the instinct to escape life鈥檚 challenges through video games, drugs, or social media. Santigold believes that difficult times are an opportunity to ask oneself, 鈥淲hat change am I afraid of?鈥�

鈥淭he way through that is for everybody to just do the personal work at an individual level. And a lot of the work is within our bodies, learning to honor the discomfort as a tool for evolution,鈥� says the songwriter. 鈥淲hether you鈥檙e talking about human beings on this Earth, or Black people in this country, we have shown over and over again that we do have what we need to keep going. We鈥檝e seen the resilience.鈥�

An album title with meaning

That鈥檚 why Santigold titled her album 鈥淪pirituals.鈥� It鈥檚 a nod to the form of singing pioneered by enslaved women.聽

鈥淢aking this music was a transcendental experience,鈥� says the artist. 鈥淚t allowed me to kind of escape the physical environment through the music and just experience a bit of freedom and also some beauty and light to move towards. And that鈥檚 pretty much what the job of original Negro spirituals was. ... That鈥檚 what the songs did for me.鈥澛�