Handsum Santiago

ust in time for V-Day, I have stumbled upon an artist with velvet-like vocals, a charming persona, and soulful sex appeal. Singer/songwriter, Handsum Santiago is taking his unique musical stylings from Charleston, South Carolina to the rest of the world. The singer recently released two smooth and soulful singles entitled, I Won't Change and Back it Up.
When Santiago sings, it can sometimes feel like you're listening to an old soul. He takes him time with the lyrics, slowly building the moment; on Back it Up, this is his game. He smoothly sings, "its a strange situation. You left with no hesitation. You said you love me. I want you to prove it to me."Since emerging with his debut release EP “COVID19” in April 2020, he has been steadily building momentum, revealing new sides of his artistry with every track. Now, with the release of his most compelling music to date, he says he's ready to "take the modern music world by storm." But its been no easy road.

Santiago’s musical journey began at seventeen years old. Having grown up immersed in R&B, pop, and rap, his talent was immediately apparent to everyone around him. And although he took a brief hiatus from music in his twenties, a life changing revelation on thanksgiving night in 2019 reminded him of his true purpose -- bringing people joy, hope, and inspiration through musicHis other single, I Won't Change is also capturing listeners' attention. The track's contemporary trap meets progressive R&B beat is juxtaposed with Handsum Santiago's seductive crooning. Santiago’s biggest music influence came from Marvin Gaye, and you can hear the tonal resemblance when he unleashes his falsetto as he sings, "oh have mercy on me. Take your time with me I swear." This is baby making music for sure.

The artist is currently signed to Santiago Música Group, and he's preparing the release of the albums ‘Handsum’ and ‘Sugar Daddy Land’ for later this year. Two thrilling and diverse collections, these records perfectly demonstrate everything that makes him so special. With a steady stream of content expected in 2022 and beyond, Handsum Santiago is on his way to leaving a lasting legacy. - Filthy riche

With his silky smooth voice, charismatic stage presence, and jaw-dropping physique, Handsum Santiago has quickly established himself as one of the most vital talents in modern music. Since emerging with his debut Release EP “COVID19” in April 2020, he has been steadily building momentum, revealing new sides of his artistry with every track. Now, with the release of his most compelling music to date, he is on the brink of taking the modern music world by storm.

Santiago’s musical journey began at seventeen years old. Having grown up immersed in R&B, pop, and rap, his talent was immediately apparent to everyone around him. Santiago’s biggest music influence came from Marvin Gaye! And although he took a brief hiatus from music in his twenties, a life-changing revelation on thanksgiving night in 2019 reminded him of his true purpose – bringing people joy, hope, and inspiration through music.

Currently signed to Santiago Música Group & a native from Charleston, SC, Handsum is preparing the release of the albums ‘Handsum’ and ‘Sugar Daddy Land’ for later this year. Two thrilling and diverse collections, these records perfectly demonstrate everything that makes him so special. With a steady stream of content expected in 2022 and beyond, Handsum Santiago is on his way to leaving a lasting legacy. - vintagemediagroup

With his silky smooth voice, charismatic stage presence, and jaw-dropping physique, Handsum Santiago has quickly established himself as one of the most vital talents in modern music. Since emerging with his debut Release EP “COVID19” in April 2020, he has been steadily building momentum, revealing new sides of his artistry with every track. Now, with the release of his most compelling music to date, he is on the brink of taking the modern music world by storm.

Santiago’s musical journey began at seventeen years old. Having grown up immersed in R&B, pop, and rap, his talent was immediately apparent to everyone around him. Santiago’s biggest music influence came from Marvin Gaye! And although he took a brief hiatus from music in his twenties, a life changing revelation on thanksgiving night in 2019 reminded him of his true purpose - bringing people joy, hope, and inspiration through music.

Currently signed to Santiago Música Group & a native from Charleston, SC, Handsum is preparing the release of the albums ‘Handsum’ and ‘Sugar Daddy Land’ for later this year. Two thrilling and diverse collections, these records perfectly demonstrate everything that makes him so special. With a steady stream of content expected in 2022 and beyond, Handsum Santiago is on his way to leaving a lasting legacy. - trillionth

The uncomplicated, R&B-inspired indie pop music from local singer-songwriter Handsum Santiago explains the world of love in terms with which any classic soul musician could identify, channeling the oldies that have influenced him the most, such as Marvin Gaye and The Isley Brothers.

“Our industry now, everything is popcorn. They want it quick,” Santiago said. “Prince, Al Green, Luther Vandross — these artists took their time to explain love to you and to show you what’s going on versus making it quick.”

To him, what separates true artists from ones who want to make appealing songs is creating a memorable story.

“ ‘Summer Breeze’ — Isley Brothers broke it down and let you understand what they mean by summer breeze,” he said. And Santiago channels this unhurried manner in his lyrical observances of relationships and desire.

While his old-school futuristic sound dissects the theme of romance that is universal to all genres, he has an upcoming single called “Ms. Independence” that will focus more on delivering a message of empowerment to women, which he sees as a rare occurrence in contemporary music. “Women need to know someone is still talking about them in an uplifting way
— You’re raising five kids? You’ve got your own career? I applaud you. I am happy for you. I adore you,” Santiago said.

Another way he rewrites mainstream culture is in his approach to his recent music videos, in which he redid scenes from movies Coming to America and Bones as intros for the songs “Back It Up” and “I Won’t Change.” For his next video he’s planning a spinoff from a Top Gun scene to be filmed on the USS Yorktown at Patriots PointJust as he had to be strict in his daily vocal practices to get where he is today, he also said he had to be firm in his belief that God fills in the blanks.

“If you aren’t religious, I get it,” he said. “But there is something that you have installed in you that you’re good at and you’ve been drawn to, but you’ve been running from it — the very thing that’s going to make you and bring you peace. Santiago left music for almost 13 years after his cousin, who was his music partner, was killed. When he had a near-death experience himself at age 30, he decided he had to pick it back up.

“Everything we have inside of us, it’s not for you, it’s for people who are coming behind you. If you never push yourself to the greatness of what you’re supposed to be doing, you’re never going to be a blessing to anyone who’s coming after you.” - Chelsea grinstead