LA-based singer-songwriter and producer Stella Santana is finding new ways to reinvent herself to new audiences on her latest EP, Twelve Feet High. A Bay Area native, she was always surrounded by music, whether it be through her dad, Carlos Santana, or the songs she would tape off the radio that still inspire her work. Just recently, she played a charity show in Los Angeles for her friend Anwar Zidane’s family, who had been affected by the ongoing war on Gaza.
Although not a full-length project, the six-track EP encapsulates much of what differentiates Santana from similar artists operating within the indie singer-songwriter sphere through songs like the title track, “Twelve Feet High,” and “Chasing You Down.” Both songs blend gentle guitars and trap beats in an unexpected combination, but the former is where the fusion is best exemplified.
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That’s not to take away from “Chasing You Down.” Taking inspiration from Jack White’s “Two Against One” and accompanied by a video directed by Camille Lepen, the track also successfully takes two sounds not commonly combined and unites them under a sensual, soothing mood. However, what it does best is play to Santana’s strengths, with her soft vocals driving the song forward as she confidently carries over her almost hushed singing style heard as far back as 2015’s “Friends.”
It might not be evident, but assembling Twelve Feet High required Santana to build her creative circle from the ground up after moving to LA and essentially lending to a soft reset. “I came to LA and had to sort of start over building my network, and the timing and connections with my collaborators felt very aligned, almost divine,” said Santana.
While likely the result of her years of experience making music, the precision, and confidence heard on the EP also proves that Santana herself is more concerned with capturing feelings true to her rather than riding any specific waves persisting in music today. In her own words, “There is no hype, just presence. For me, it’s about authenticity over artifice.”
Words: David Sosa
Twelve Feet High by Stella Santana is out now on all streaming services. For more on new music and potential shows, follow her on Instagram and her website.
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