Savannah Cristina is a rising south Florida R&B star taking the industry by storm. With an infectious personality matched with incredible talent, the only one that can stop Savannah at this point is herself. She’s been releasing music for some time now, but more recently her new song “Comfortable” has come at a perfect time.
She calls the song “an anthem for the times.” With visuals to go along with the song, this is a track you don’t want to miss out on. Check it out at the bottom of the page and enjoy the exclusive interview below.
Savannah Cristina Exclusive Interview
*This interview was edited for clarity*
What has this time period of quarantine meant to you – What have you been doing to stay busy?
For me, the quarantine has been an unexpected change, but honestly it’s more of a test of how productive I can be. I’m somebody who built my brand off of doing songs in different places, so sometimes I’ll be in the middle of the street, on the beach, or on a basketball court so changing up my creativity has been interesting.
Do you feel like it’s been going well?
Yeah it’s been going well. I shot a music video fully in my house and I’ve been productive so I can’t complain.
There are a lot of ways to define self-care and self-love, what do those terms mean to you?
For me, self-care and self-love just means finding your peace and validating yourself and not looking for that from other people.
How have things been going since the release of “Comfortable?”
My new song has been doing well and the new video that went along with it has been doing well as well. I started selling kimonos in light of the “Comfortable” video because I was wearing them in the video so that’s been going great too.
I think “Comfortable” is an anthem for the times, we have to get comfortable in this situation even if it seems to be a very uncomfortable situation. I’m also excited the timing was right for it.
Where did you get the inspiration for that track?
I heard the beat and started writing to it after I heard the saxophone. It just reminded me of a cozy room, like my living room, the couch, candlelight, and I was inspired by the vibe. I love traditional R&B because that’s what I was raised off so I wanted to create something that was a modern-day anthem, something that you could just vibe to.
Does the same source of inspiration apply for the other songs that you’ve made?
I’m always inspired by my surroundings so I’m inspired by what place I’m in physically and mentally. With “Self Care” I wrote it on the beach, with “Rebound,” I wrote it on the basketball court so I think there’s a running theme. I take in my environment and use it as inspiration.
What does your creative process typically look like?
Typically I hear the beat then from me hearing the instrumental and the tone of the song I’m inspired to write from there. I feel a lot of vibes and energy so I try to compliment the energy I find in the beat so that’s why I love to get beats and work on my own. I’m an independent person and don’t like to work in a room full of 10 people. It’s just me and the music and then I make something.
How does it feel to know that people like Alicia Keys, Joe Budden, and other talented musicians appreciate what you do?
It’s very encouraging because as a young creative sometimes we’re not sure if we should be doing this or pursuing that, like “should I be on the traditional track that my family wants me to be doing” and when you get those words of encouragement and co-signs from people that have no reason to lie to you and are just giving a personal opinion, it’s very reassuring. It makes you feel like you are doing the right things by doing this.
How do you feel about building out your music in South Florida, do you feel satisfied with the opportunities and resources down there?
I’m very happy with the way my community supports me, but I do feel like it’s time for a change and for me to go somewhere to find new inspiration and to be inspired by new people. My city has a growing R&B scene, but it hasn’t 100% been established yet and I hope I can help make that happen. I think the best way to help us grow is to go to other places and see how they do it and then bring it back to my culture because that’s what it’s all about.
Can you tell us how Florida has shaped your music?
The entire culture of Florida, the vacation weather all year round, the sun, and the positive energy inspires me to create. There’s always something outside that makes you feel an appreciation for life and it allows you to reflect a little more. So when it comes to my writing I’m very inspired to write outside in different places and I think Florida contributes to that.
What can you typically be found doing outside of music?
Outside of music, as of late I’m very active. I like to workout, especially all these at-home workouts now that we’re in quarantine. I like to nap and sometimes occasionally work with the youth within my community.
What would the ideal future look like for Savannah?
An ideal future would be me continuing with music and doing a lot of tours. The best part about making music is the performance part. I love to perform so that’s where I see myself.
I see myself running a company outside of music and I also see myself writing for other artists who I admire because writing is my main passion.
Do you have any new music coming out for the rest of the year?
Yeah, I’m going to be dropping pretty often. That’s usual for me to drop songs often and to drop songs with the times especially now that we have time to be locked in and focused.
What advice would you give someone that’s super shy but would like to do what you’re doing?
So I’m an introverted, extrovert. There are times where I can be very loud and friendly when I’m on, but on my day to day life, I’m not very outgoing so I would say to anybody who wants to make music that might be struggling with that to push past your fears even if it’s a little bit of the day. Practice being more social because the success in music comes from your support. I think the basis of my success has been the friends and personal connections I’ve gained through being more social. People are your best friend and with music, you want to connect with people so you have to be relatable.
What would you like to tell passionate music listeners and readers in the Seattle area just learning about Savannah Cristina?
Go listen to my music. I started as a poet so a lot of my songs are poetry turned into songs, but check out my visuals as well. All of them are true stories and I’m just happy to share and if you like it, leave a comment because I do read all the comments on my YouTube and Instagram. The comments are very motivational and I love to connect with other people.
Stream Savannah Cristina – Comfortable (Official Music Video)
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