Wednesday’s nights are apparently the new Thursday and what better way to spend a Wednesday than jamming to music and having a few drinks with friends. Last Wednesday saw us check out some new talent in Dalston, East London where we stumbled across one particular talented lady; Stephanie Santiago.
Stephanie Santiago is a British Colombian singer and she had us in our feels and swaying to her guitar from her first song to her last. Her melodic voice and lyrics accompanied by her guitar strumming made for an intimate and honest performance – quite a refreshing feel for Dalston (you know what I mean if you’ve ever done the Dalston scene). So meet our songstress and get to know her a bit more below;
What inspired your passion for music and who has been there supporting you from the beginning?
My parents inspired me to start in music, they were very musical so I was always around for their live performances, and rehearsals, but the person who has supported me the most in my musical career and still does one hundred per cent is my mother. She’s a legend.
How have you found breaking into the music industry? I think it’s hard and easy at the same time, there’s so many accessible platforms to showcase your music these days but at the same time there’s a lot more people out there doing it so it can be tricky to compete with thousands of other singer/songwriters who are highly active on social media. I try to stay true to myself, I write from personal experiences and other people’s experiences, I don’t watch TV or even listen to the Radio… It’s strange but it helps me keep original I guess.
What have your challenges been when it comes to releasing your singles/albums? I’m so picky when it comes to choosing what I put out, but I’m sure most artists struggle with that. I don’t want to rush to put out music that I don’t feel fully satisfied with so I take my time.
What would you say your fan base is like at the moment? I receive great feedback from people of all ages and backgrounds, which is pretty cool, but I don’t target my music to a specific demographic yet.
Where do you see yourself five years from now?
I see myself writing, performing, touring & recording on a larger scale.
Who have you always dreamt of working with and why? I would love to work with Pharrell Williams, Franc Ocean & Mark Ronson, My musical influences always change but those guys just know how to make great music.
As you are starting out your career in the music industry what steps do you plan on taking to reach your goal? My plan is to put out good music; the music will speak for itself and receive the recognition it deserves. I want to focus mostly on the quality of my work. I have two EP’s I’m working on currently and I plan to put out another visual soon.
From your experience so far, what have you found to be the most challenging? And how are you dealing with it? What I’ve found most challenging is leading a normal working life, music doesn’t pay until it pays and when it does it’s not consistent money yet, but I still do my best to dedicate lots of time to music meaning I can’t commit to a normal 9-5 job. But that’s the case with most young creatives that I know. It’s hard to get by because London is so expensive.
Do you have any hidden talents? I like anything creative, so apart from music I enjoy painting, dancing and acting . I’m a qualified hairdresser and cake decorator haha. Keep up with Stephanie via her social media, check out her Instagram, Twitter and Soundcloud for more on her latest music.
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