Credit
Aaliyah Balogun
In collaboration with So Basically, Rêves recently had the opportunity to sit down for an interview with Nigerian artist, Santaklara — exploring the inspiration and creativity behind the young artist’s musical expression. The 19-year-old artist is undoubtedly a breath of fresh air in a space filled with emerging talents, working to forge his way through the buzz with his own inimitable sound.
At the start of the interview, we were curious to know how the 19-year-old artist would describe his sound.
“I don’t have a particular sound, it’s just whatever I’m feeling,” said Santaklara.
He explains further by stating that he has the ability to make instant decisions based only on a rhythm of a simple beat, following whatever inspiration strikes him at the moment. He describes his sound as a hybrid of Alté and Afro Rap genre.
As the interview continued, we delved into Santaklara’s artistic process and asked what his recording process was like.
“It’s crazy and stressful,” he said.
Santaklara’s typical studio session spans up to 7 hours, a duration prolonged by his approach where he mixes his sounds while recording, blending elements in real-time to craft his distinctive sonic landscape. He talks about how his recording process has evolved from writing down his lyrics to just jumping off the bat with a beat that resonates with him.
In an industry filled with so many artists pursuing the same genre, it can be a bit difficult for an artist to retain a distinctive sound. Seeing how Santaklara’s sound could be mistaken for Nigerian alternative singer-songwriter Cruel Santino’s, we asked how frequently the artist receives comparisons to Santi.
“At least more than 50 times,” he laughed.
Santaklara recounted receiving feedback on his music, particularly on Twitter, where folks insisted he was a doppelgänger for Santi, even suggesting he could pass as Santi’s long-lost sibling. Despite the uncanny comparisons, Santaklara now shrugs them off with a chuckle, embracing his own unique vibe and sound brought to the genre.
We asked how Santaklara discovered Santi in the first place.
Santaklara first discovered Santi’s music after listening to Santi’s End of The Wicked performance at Native Land music festival (2020), back in Nigeria. Although Santi’s sound did not initially resonate with Santaklara in the beginning, a second listen at Santi’s 2019 album “Mandy and the Jungle” did the trick. This urged Santaklara to connect to Santi’s sound — fully converting him to a fan of the Alté genre.
Curious about the origins of his musical inspiration, we asked Santaklara about the influences shaping his sound.
Asides Santi, Santaklara draws inspiration from the likes of American rappers Ski mask the Slump God and Comethazine. In terms of curating a particular vibe, he is influenced by Rema. Santaklara also mentioned how he is inspired to promote his sound and music relentlessly by Smada. Nonetheless, Santaklara takes pride in managing to create a sound that is uniquely his own.
Wrapping up the interview, we were curious to know how Santaklara’s feature with the artist Len on the song “Muzziano,” released back in July, came to life.
“I really loved his verse,” said SantaKlara.
Santaklara was intrigued by Len when his brother started mentioning the artist. Upon carrying out his own research, Santaklara mentioned he found out that Len was having discounted offers for features. This prompted him to message the artist. Santaklara admitted that upon initially sending Len a song meant for another artist, he decided he wanted to give Len the power to fully influence the song. Santaklara expressed how he was worried Len had ignored his request but later realised the artist was preoccupied by his ongoing tour.
“Len sent his verse so quickly; this guy recorded his verse in like 30 minutes.” Santaklara stated, seemingly impressed.
