Detroit’s Next Star: J. Santino Will Not Stop Until He Is At The Top
The importance of displaying Black excellence has never been more important than now. As he has grown his artistry, J. Santino has never been one to forget his roots and what he stands for. As he has become more and more focused on his craft, it has become clear the world needs answers. Who is J. Santino?
Born and raised in Detroit MI, musically known as Motown, naturally he was introduced to the art of music but also his mother had a background in gospel. From a young age music always maintained the number one spot in his life. Santino has pretty much been singing his whole life. His fundamental music background set fire to his own craft and it planted a deep drive in him to stick with his natural born talents.
The Chew Chewy Entertainment signee (A Detroit based artist management company founded by Deonte Cooper), Santino is inspired by many great artists but it wasn’t until hearing the song Someday from Mariah Carey’s eponymous debut album that he realized how important music was to him. He described it as an “immersion into music” and a “catalyst” that pushed and motivated him to flourish his talent. He began writing his own songs very early on and continues to write all his music as it is very important to him. To elaborate on that, he explained the process as something he has to “feel and really connect with” or the music seems bland and uninspired. This was also one of the major reasons he explained as to why he doesn’t lip sync any of his performances. The raw talent has to be felt through and through, from creation to performance.
This was another major key Mariah’s artistry gifted Santino with from a young age, who continues to write hit after hit himself, creating an endless catalogue to work with. As he explained it, writing his own music based on things he can connect to keeps his art alive. This is one of the major pieces to becoming a “pop star” in his perspective.
When asked about his musical genre and if pop music was what he would classify his music as he provided a very detailed explanation of pop music. He continued by saying pop music is basically just someone who can steadily maintain making hits people can connect with, leading to popularity, aka “pop” music. Santino did clarify that he would like his music to eventually transcend genre and maybe lead to create a genre of his own.
Santino has many things that drive his artistry to the next level. The most important of them all is being able to “escape” the Metro Detroit area, but not in the way most would think. He explained this as a way to leave, flourish his career, and bring that wealth and experience back to the Metro area for other young adults, like himself, who need to see success is at the hands of anyone who has the drive to get it but more importantly anyone that believes in themselves.
Santino does have a few family members he would be leaving behind, but he is a firm believer that “you make your own family”, and nowadays nothing is more true. He described some of his upbringing and early adulthood as a “displaced” time in his life which pushed him (and still does) towards his goals. As an ally to the LGBTQ+ community, Santino would like to bring back a larger support system in the Black community as he states there isn’t one big enough at hand in the Metro area currently. He stated, “the Black community is not strong enough here” and that is one of his major drives for success.
Santino maintains a “wild and crazy” yet “bubbly and bright” perspective on life. He stated, “I believe in going hard for my work and my passion”. When asked what his fans and followers can expect from him over the next 2 years he stated, “just really getting as far as I can”. We look forward to his new single “Gemini” which will be dropping soon with a video to follow.
Lastly, a piece of advice to his tribe: As long as you stay “grounded, and in tune within”, you can achieve ANYTHING.
This is article was in collaboration with Alexondra Gibson.
