Singer Santigold touts unique style of ‘genre-less music’

YOU may love dance and electronic music, but Santigold hates it.

The singer-rapper, who has collaborated with Jay-z, the Beastie Boys and Mark Ronson, says she wishes the sound wasn’t so popular.

“I really don’t like that music, that sort of Euro-dance music, Ibiza-style. I’ve never liked it, even when it was kind of new and underground,” she said.

The electronic and dance genre has taken over US radio in the last few years, with acts from Rihanna, Britney Spears, Usher to Katy Perry adopting the sound and churning out number one hits.

Santigold says today’s pop hits are formulaic, where artists “hire one of three producers, one of a couple of songwriters, and you pretty much get the exact same song every time”.

“It’s really become about the economy of the music industry, and it’s shaping the music that we’re getting in a really unfortunate way.”

Santigold has written songs for Christina Aguilera, Lily Allen and Ashlee Simpson. She used to work for Epic Records and almost signed rapper-actor Mos Def.

Santigold said she decided to pursue her own musical efforts and blends elements of rock, pop, hip-hop and dance to create a sound that is as distinct as her album’s unusual beats.

“I would describe it as genre-less music,” said Santigold, who released her sophomore album, Master of My Make-believe, last week. It’s the follow-up to her criticallyacclaimed 2008 debut Santogold, her former stage name before changing it in 2009.

“I always call it collage music because really that’s what it is,” she said. “It’s taking bits of all these different influences and sounds and piecing them together in a special and unique way to myself.”

Santigold says making Master – which features collaborations with Q-tip, Diplo, John Hill, Greg Kurstin, David Sitek of TV on the Radio and Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs – was intense and meditation helped ease her exhaustion. — Sapa-ap