Santogold Biography:

As a solo project comprised of a revolving door of members, the heart and face of Santogold is vivacious frontwoman Santi White. Paired with John Hill, her former counterpart from ska-punk band Stiffed, the two use their common backgrounds as production-savvy musicians to make bombastic, bass-oriented songs that fuse punk, reggae, grime, and indie rock with electro.

While showcasing her array of vocal styles at a Stiffed show, White was spotted by Martin Heath, who made her an offer to record a solo record on Lizard King, the label responsible for the successful promotion of the Killers. After failed attempts with a few mainstream pop producers, White and Hill decided to pair up with a crew of like-minded musicians -- including Freq Nasty, Disco D, Switch, Spank Rock's Naeem, Xxxchange, Steel Pulse guitarist Clifford Moonie Pusey, and none other than M.I.A. herself. In only three weeks, the full-length Creator was completed and scheduled for release in January of 2008, though it took until April for the album (retitled to simply Santogold) to actually hit shelves.

Santogold, the stage name of Brooklyn sass master Santi White, headlined the event, and it was clear that it's the last time audiences will see her in a mid-size club setting. This woman is built for theaters and maybe even arenas.
If you see Santogold at The Paradise again, it will be on a framed poster in the corridor leading to the Box Office. The genre-jumping Santi White won't be opening for the likes of Coldplay again, either, as she did earlier this year at the TD Banknorth Garden.

Saturday night Santogold provided a mishmash of hip-hop, pop and indie rock and it seemed the sold-out crowd drew fans from every contingent, including those that dabble in all three. Watching her dance onstage, with requisite S1W-style B-Girls, everyone was getting down, even if the discursions from the album versions of songs sometimes took away from the momentum. The overall tenor of the show was of a newly-minted star, Santogold, still enjoying the novelty of the limelight and a crowd that was happy to be witness.

Some of the highlights came during the DJ queues in “Starstruck,” which hypnotized the crowd, seemingly swaying down lower as the song progressed. “Shove It” had the hands in the air, and “Say Aha” had everyone doing their best ‘80s dance moves. The show progressed with a mounting authority, so that by the time the last song “Unstoppable” ended, Santogold repeated affirmation, “I've got to be unstoppable,” would be awfully hard to argue.