Culture
Santigold discusses punk roots, ‘Spirituals,’ forging community on stage, and making perennial music
By: Ian Saint
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CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOUB) – Santigold is renowned for her breadth of collaborations with popular music’s biggest names—spanning genres and generations from Tyler the Creator to Talking Heads’ David Byrne, Jay-Z to Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O. At her first Ohio concerts in nine years, audience members get a rare chance to collaborate with Santigold onstage.
Touring behind her fourth album Spirituals after her acclaimed 2022 NPR Tiny Desk concert, I attended Santigold’s show at Dallas’s Bomb Factory last October with 27-year-old artist RoMellow Williams. Among many highlights was Santigold inviting the audience to hop onstage for a delightful dance-off to two songs, a remarkable dare for an artist of her stature. It was an extraordinary experience for RoMellow, who jumped at the opportunity and had a ball amid his fellow impromptu dance troupers.
When Santigold’s long-awaited return to Ohio was announced in April, I was excited to catch up with the multihyphenate creator about continuing the tour. Tragically, RoMellow—the Santigold fan who acquainted me with her artistry—unexpectedly died before our interview occurred, provoking a reflection on how impactfully Santigold’s live interactions with fans shine in memory.
Santigold plays Cleveland’s new Globe Iron (2320 Center St.) Friday, then Columbus’s Newport Music Hall (1722 N. High St.) Monday. A transcript of her conversation with WOUB’s Ian Saint, edited for length and clarity, is below.
IAN SAINT: Before your first album, you fronted the punk band Stiffed — and you resurrected Ain’t Got Enough to conclude your NPR Tiny Desk set. Do you miss performing punk shows, and are there elements that subtly carry into your more technical Santigold concerts?
SANTIGOLD: Great question. I always miss the punk shows because they were so free, and literally just about energy. You just showed up in whatever you wore that day — no costumes, choreographies, or in-ear monitors. Stiffed showed up, a four-piece band; and the energy of the music was the magnetic part of the show.
I really learned how to perform and sing in that band, and use my voice like an instrument. I was influenced by The Pretenders, H.R. from Bad Brains, Missing Persons, Siouxsie and the Banshees — so much cool, female-led music. That definitely carried into all my (subsequent) music, using my voice like an instrument and playing with its full range. Ain’t Got Enough is one of my favorites Stiffed songs; I’m very critical with my music, but it’s held up over time.
High Priestess is a track on Spirituals, and to me it sounds like punk rock in outer space.
SANTIGOLD: Exactly. I think High Priestess (attained) merging progressive punk and rap. I’d been asked to feature on rap music with my punk sound. Then I wanted to do a song that merged both, but found it was actually hard to merge in a way I found cool. Doing some rap-chant vocal over distorted guitars sounded corny and obvious; not at all punk in the real sense, where you’re breaking rules. So my friend Simon (Christensen) did crazy stuff with instruments that aren’t typically considered punk, and made them feel so punk in a progressive way — what punk means, not what punk has been.
Thank you for sharing your Dallas stage with RoMellow, who danced with you to Unstoppable and Creator. (See video here) I shared that memory while speaking at his funeral, as it was profound that thousands of revelers witnessed RoMellow radiating with you in the final chapter of his short life. What inspires you to invite the audience on stage?
SANTIGOLD: My God, he was good (at dancing). Thank you for sharing that with me; it’s so beautiful. That puts into perspective… I love bringing people up on stage, because to me, performing is really about shared space. It’s about community, and the opportunity to share the experience of music together. And I think that’s such a missing part of culture, now; people don’t attend as many shows because of higher ticket prices, so there’s a diminishing opportunity to be communal around music.
People come up to me all the time and say, “I remember when I was on stage with you 12 years ago,” and it’s special. So when you tell me a story like (RoMellow’s), it breaks my heart — but it also really warms my heart, and I’m glad you guys got to have that (memory for his eulogy).
Shake is another Spirituals song in your setlist. After you performed it in Dallas, RoMellow said, “I feel the Holy Spirit in here.”
SANTIGOLD: I love it. That song came through in 10 minutes — lyrics, everything — which doesn’t happen often. My Dad’s grandmother and aunt were involved with this Baltimore church. The ushers dressed in white, with fans and gloves. People would catch the spirit and fall; they’d be fanning them, and the music was amazing. I thought, “that’s church.” With Spirituals, I talk about ascension and transcending dimensions; when we did the choreography for Shake, (evoking) that was perfect.
Shake makes me visualize clapping games and Double Dutch.
SANTIGOLD: I love that interpretation. Interestingly, I was exposed to those things in that same era. It’s very rhythmic in the same way.
Lots has unfolded since your debut album premiered 17 years ago. Are there older songs that resonate with audiences in ways you hadn’t anticipated?
SANTIGOLD: When I played I’m a Lady at Queer/Pride Festival in Seattle last year, people were crying. I was almost crying, because it felt relevant for all the womens’ rights and trans rights being taken away. Whatever it was, people were really in the moment with me. I just got chills talking about it.
That’s a powerful thing about music: it can be perennial. It can change relevance and meaning with culture. It can resonate with people that you never thought would gravitate to it, who might be very different from yourself. Also, people interpret your lyrics differently, which is really cool.
I write a lot of evergreen songs, about topics that are universal and forever — until we all have freedom, living our truest selves. Disparate Youth, for example, I wrote in 2012; and it keeps having another big boom (such as soundtracking the Emmy-winning 2020 Unorthodox miniseries trailer) because it’s so relevant. Look what we’re going through; (singing) “a life worth fighting for” makes peoples feel empowered.
I’m enjoying your podcast, Noble Champions. The episode with Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, Syd, and Gen Z Rep. Maxwell Frost was fascinating — multigenerational, multiracial, multidisciplinary. The Congressman was brainstorming legislation ideas with the professional musicians.
SANTIGOLD: Yeah, and I think that’s why conversations need to happen. Musicians aren’t talking legislation every day. The podcast came from conversations I was finding myself in, that were so good and exciting; and I wanted to hear more of these conversations on a broader scope. I’m also at this point in life where I’m fascinated about stuff I’ve never thought about; and I like having guests from different perspectives, backgrounds, or experiences. It gives me hope, and I need to find ways to be hopeful about the future.
Find more information on all upcoming tour dates for Santigold at this link.