Music Spotlight: St. Humain

Meet singer-songwriter + producer St. Humain. St. Humain recently shared his 7-track EP EMOTIONAL SAUNA, which is every bit emotional as the title suggests, taking on a different emotion with each track. St. Humain has proven himself to be a genre mixologist, blending pop, electronic + r&b elements through his work. We chatted with him about the EP, his sound + being a shitty person.

// photo by Nathan Hopkins

Asymmetric Magazine: Congrats on your debut EP! Can you tell us about EMOTIONAL SAUNA and what it means to you?
St. Humain: Thank you!! It's been a long time coming, and I'm so glad to finally have it out for the world to hear. To me, it's a collection of songs about love and life—the main theme of the EP is the fact that we all have feelings, and feelings about things. Each song is a single emotion distilled into music, and I hope people find some form of connection through each one.

Each song is a single emotion distilled into music, and I hope people find some form of connection through each one.

AM: Are there any consistent themes you typically pursue through your music?
SH: Each song relates to something in my own personal life. I think the main theme is me simply trying to make sense of life. There's the good and there's the bad, and then there's the sideways that make you go, ‘What just happened here?’. Life things, you know?

AM: Is there a track on the EP that you resonate with most?
SH: This is kind of like asking a mother which kid they love the most, ha! But right now, it's definitely If I'm Honest who's being the most well-behaved. And by that I mean that I think it's the one that reflects my current state of mind. It's about being honest to your own flaws—a confession that I'm actually a shitty person. At the same time, I think it's only through the truth of the dark that we can find the light. So definitely If I'm Honest right now.

AM: For first time listeners, how do you like to describe your sound?
SH: I'd say that pop is the backbone of it all, but at the same time, off that same foundation is a sheen of electronic sounds, and my melodies also are tinged with certain R&B elements because I love it so much. It's a mix of these three, mainly, but also throw in a whole lot of bedroom DIY crossed with big studio vibes.

AM: Where is one place that you feel completely in touch with your creative self and your music?
SH: I'm quite introverted, so my alone time helps me feel this way a lot. I get this often while driving, just jamming along to music as I do. Otherwise, it would be at a show or in the studio when the vibe is right.

// photo by Nathan Hopkins

AM: What other musicians are you currently listening to?
SH: I've been listening to Lennon Stella's EP Love, me over the past two days, as well as Julia Michael's new release Inner Monologue Part 1. They're both so sonically clean, and I love that so much. I'm also in love with Maggie Rogers' debut album Heard It In A Past Life—it's truly magical.

AM: What can we expect to hear from you next?
SH: I've been digging up my past. Things that I hadn't really processed on a higher level before are now starting to find their way out of my system. So that said, more honest songs are coming and definitely more interesting blends of genre. I know my EP is only just out, but I'm already thinking five, six, seven songs ahead, and I can't wait to share them.

// listen to Emotional Sauna:

// Listen to more St. Humain on Spotify + SoundCloud.