The name's not "Santogold" any more. These days, Santi White prefers to go by the alias Santigold, after a grumpy type took issue with her using his pseudonym. But no matter. At 32, Santigold is now one of the hottest artists around. The native New Yorker won unanimous acclaim for her debut album Santogold (Lizard King/Naïve). It's a highly classy fusion of new wave, hip-hop, punk and dub, an exceptional album crammed with hits including Creator, L.E.S Artistes and Lights Out. Her infl uences? Siouxsie and The Banshees, Blondie and Devo, not to mention James Brown and Aretha Franklin. And the black diva Grace Jones, with whom she shares an acute sense of showmanship. Santi has a real streetgirl look, that mixes vintage threads dug up in the charity store in Brooklyn (where she lives) with ethnic bling. It's a style reminiscent of the English singer M.I.A, to whom Santi is often compared (they share the same producer, Switch). Whilst 2008 was the year of Santigold, she didn't just come out of nowhere. Having spent some time as the artistic director for a record company, Ms Santi also got around, writing hits for the pouting nymphette Lily Allen and recording a track on Version, the album by Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse's producer). She can be found on the N.A.S.A album The Spirit Of Apollo, or on Top Ranking, the excellent mixtape made by her friend, Diplo. Always on the go, Santi is currently working on her follow-up album. Passing through Europe, the ultra glamorous New Yorker will be performing a set at the Roxy Jam Biarritz on Monday 13 July at the Port Vieux beach. It promises to be a seriously groovy night.
