Introducing #190 - Toni Sancho
Let us introduce you to Spanish Prayers latest signing Toni Sancho - who has just released her debut single ‘Survive’. A soul singer and musician from a Caribbean family that was brought up in North Greenwich - she returned to Trinidad for her teenage years which helped Toni shape her sound massively. She took a moment to talk to us about this experience and her music.
Hey there Toni, how are you? So your debut track ‘Survive!’ is out now - can you tell us what it is about?
‘Survive!’ is about a break-up I had in the beginning of 2020. I wrote the song in the peak of the pandemic while coming to terms with the end of that relationship. The making of the music was really cathartic for me and has triggered this continued exploration of self through music. ‘Survive!' for me was the beginning of that practice
Where are you based and what are your favorite things to do there?
I live in Walthamstow Village, I quite like the area and just walking around. I appreciate the anonymity of London and just walking around in the comfort of that. It’s also a city with a rhythm that’s very pleasant to fall into. I like getting coffee or pizza or a pint at a pub I find that day. I like reading, I like exploring ideas and reflecting on the state of the world. I like yoga and grounding, mostly I involve myself with what is pleasurable.
You come from a Caribbean family and in your teenage years you returned to Trinidad to help shape your sound. Can you tell us a bit more about that?
Trinidad represents a time of solitude for me, I think the period I spent there as a teen was really good to reflect. I remember feeling very lost and I remember turning to music a lot of the time. It was very good for me musically in that it allowed me to practice the art of listening to myself and also to be around my people and my culture. The period definitely informed how I approach the making of music and primed me to be able to express myself so honestly when working through the emotions of the loss.
What are your key influences when it comes to your music?
Noname, Florence & The Machine, Childish Gambino, Nina Simone and Frank Ocean: I’d say that’s my top 5. Florence & The Machine inspires me musically with her bravery and vulnerability and I also really like how many instruments she involves. Noname is also incredibly blunt in how she expresses herself which I love, I think it forces you to face what she is saying. I respect Frank Ocean and Childish Gambino for how ambitious they have been with sound. When you listen to their albums it is almost as if they are creating a different world inside your mind through your ears, layers upon layers. In the 80s you would call that a soundscape. I’m quite interested in that and I think these two are the best to execute that in a modern arena. Nina Simone is of course a musical genius and all her songs make my heart feel at home.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never listened to your music before?
I’d call it an honest expression of self. I haven’t been able to group it together with anyone musically but I can say it sounds like me.
Now the debut track is out there - what’s next for you?
I think the songs are the truest expression of that experience musically. This period in my life although very intense has left me with a collection of songs which I now feel very excited to honor. I’m excited to express these songs visually and through live performances. Even now, just in the process of releasing this music I can feel myself changing as an artist and a musician. I am feeling quite creatively inspired too. 'Survive!' was the kind of shooting of the metaphorical gun for me and I’m just very excited to move forward.