FEATURE: Spotlight: Charlotte Dos Santos

FEATURE:

Spotlight

Charlotte Dos Santos

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I know I have spotlighted quite a few…

female artists over the past week but, to be honest, there are so many strong women emerging that I feel like it would be wrong to ignore them. Although Charlotte Dos Santos has been releasing music for a few years now, I do think she is primed for explosion. I can see her being one of the big names of 2020; someone who is demanded at festivals and, when you hear her music, it is hard not to be cast under her spell. The E.P., Cleo, was released in 2017, and it received very little in the way of critical attention. Maybe there was a lack of awareness for Do Santos but, when it comes to this artist, everyone needs to be aware of her! She grew up in Bærum with a Norwegian mother and Brazilian father. Dos Santos attended Jazz studies at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts between 2013–‘16), where she earned a Bachelor of Music in Contemporary Writing and Production, and Vocal Jazz Performance. I love the soulfulness of Dos Santos’ voice, and her music mixes Jazz, Neo-Soul and South-American tastes. Although her E.P. received some good reviews in the Norwegian media, it did not get too much scope past there. There are some gigs coming up so, if you can get to see her, make sure you do. There are so many artists I need to see this year, but I just know I will forget! Harvest Time was released a couple of months back, but I have heard it get a lot of love on BBC Radio 6 Music.

I adore the sound of her voice as it whispers and seduces; the song is dream-like but there is power and potency to be found. I am not sure whether there is an album planned and any firm dates, but I would not be surprised if Dos Santos released an E.P. or album before the end of the summer. In terms of interviews and articles, a lot of them have been with smaller sites/blogs, but this year will definitely be one where her music reaches more people and she gets some big acclaim. In 2018, she spoke with Soul Feeder, and was asked about her sounds, influences, and being a woman of colour in the industry:

“Recently, Latin American music has massively increased in popularity – not merely Puerto Rican and Colombian reggaeton but also more alternative or traditional Latin American music have received attention, partially due to the promotion of DJs such as Gilles Peterson. Your album clearly has some Latin American influences (among many other influences). Do you think it would’ve been as successful and critically acclaimed if you had released it for example 10 years ago?

Many of the first tracks that formed Cleo circulated the internet amongst the soul collectors and hip hop heads a few years before being heard by the commercial market. I first released a song called “Stay” on Soundcloud in 2012 which was a Shuggie Otis tune that I recorded melody and lyrics to just straight on top of the instrumental. At the time I was a part of the Oslo collective Mutual Intentions and was working with producer Fredfades and we made “Take It Slow” “Move On” “Watching You” and Cleo” which are all sampled based and I really thought they would forever stay within our “niche geeky collectors scene”. But then they didn’t. Granted it did take a few years of circulation!

When writing the rest of Cleo, which came together over a time span of three years, it was important for me that I got to express how free and varied I like to be as a musician and wanted to put that on the project as this would be people’s first introduction to my music. I don’t particularly have one style or type of music that influences me. “King Of Hearts” was melodically inspired by a 1930s Russian avant-garde film on the revolution in Mexico that I watched in my apartment in Brooklyn and simultaneously dealing with emotionally unavailable people and that song came out. “Sumer is Icumen In” is a Middle English reading rota from the 12th century which started out as a school assignment on my exchange semester in Valencia that ended up as the intro because I liked my re-harm so much. “Red Clay” is partially a Freddie Hubbard tribute, who is one of my favorite trumpet players, so when I wrote it I definitely was surprised it got such a warm reception from the commercial market. I think because all the songs are so varied they keep resonating with different people from different scenes, but I do think there is a time for when people are receptive to certain types of sounds and music, yes. It’s a little difficult for me to debate whether or not people would’ve been as receptive to my music ten years ago, as I think it just depends on what people are going through personally that makes them being able to connect lyrically.

In an interview with Utopie Tangible you cited a wide variety of soul artists as your influences, but also renowned hip-hop producers such as J. Dilla and Madlib. Have you ever considered adding a rap feature to one of your songs and is there any hip-hop artist in particular you’d like to work with someday?

No I haven’t considered that actually. I think it’s funny, just because you are an admirer of an art form or impressed and inspired by it doesn’t mean that I should take that and embed that in my own music. I heavily grew up on rap and hip hop and will always continue to listen. But we don’t always have to take on things that we like. To me it is the same thing as just wanting to be a part of everything and not having enough insight to watch it, admire it, and let it be what it is. Like a flower, you wouldn’t rip it up and take it home just because it’s beautiful. At least that’s what my father told me.

In several interviews you’ve stated that you wish to be a role model for people of color by showcasing that by working hard, anything is possible. Are you, nevertheless, not afraid of ever being seen as a “person who made it in a white industry” rather than an actual role model?

I don’t even know what that means. The music industry is an industry at the end of the day, and has been dominated by black culture historically. The entertainment industry has been the only platform through which people of color have been able to claim respect which has been a part of the problem for so long. As black and POC we were accepted either as athletes or musicians but what happened to seeing black and POC doctors, scholars, presidents, businessmen, prime ministers? They weren’t seen even though they thrived in sectors that have been outwardly dominated by white people due to racism. Being a part of breaking that image is what is important to me. That is the metaphor for me behind Cleo – being able to do whatever I/she likes. In the end if you are in any industry moving towards being true and uplifting people you are already a role model to somebody, but I have been focusing on uplifting WOC musicians especially back home in Norway where there are close to none, and I grew up without any role model in my field so I try to be the change I would like to see.

One can detect elements of Neo Soul greats in her voice, but there are other shades and layers that are unique to Dos Santos. I am looking forward to seeing where she heads next as, with her voice and musical talent, the future is going to be very bright.

Charlotte Dos Santos will be looking ahead and planning her moves but, from a creative point, I was interested to understand how songs came together for her, as every artist is different. In this interview from Urban Outfitters, Dos Santos revealed her process:

“What is your process like for creating new music?

I use my piano to write. I don't necessarily know what the end result is going to be or sound like but I might start with a bass line or hear certain string arrangements in my head. It's a journey! And all depending on my mood. I also always have my phone with me and record whenever I come up with something. On the plane ride back from Berlin a few days ago I was recording different parts for strings and the guy next to be probably thought I was crazy”.

This article reveals some of Dos Santos’ musical influences - and I definitely approve of her choices! I shall leave things there but, looking ahead, I hope there are more interviews and features that highlight this fantastic artist. After putting out a single a couple of months back, many are looking her way and are very excited (I am one of them!). The stunning Charlotte Dos Santos is…