Sarantos
Sarantos belongs to that brave new world of indie recording artists who write their own script for success. He promised fans that he’d release a new single each month throughout 2014, and he delivered. Not only did he release a new song each month, Sarantos released a video for each single too.
Way to keep fans wanting more! Sarantos strategy is paying off big time: “I started in January of this year. I wanted to do something different than the big bands and big artists, who release a CD every 2-3 years. I really wanted to stay in touch each month. What I’ve noticed is that every time a new song comes out and every time a new video comes out, the fans flock to social media and they share the song. It’s grown every single month.”
My two favorite Sarantos songs released this year are Back and Forth and I’d Give Anything, so I asked Sarantos to tell me more about them: “Back and Forth is definitely one of the more popular songs. It’s a smooth, pop, R&B song, maybe even alternative. At the end of the day, humans are ultimately indecisive. There’re all these decisions that we try to make, and we always go back and forth. Some people over think things; some people don’t. Decisions are a big part of human nature, and that’s what this song is about.”
The back story behind I’d Give Anything is: “It’s a rock song about a guy who’s heartbroken. He truly, deeply wants to be with this woman, who has broken up with him, put him on the back burner and doesn’t want to have anything to do with him. He just can’t give up on her, and he remembers the good times they had. He’d give anything to have his heart happy and to be with her again.”
Sarantos works with producers on each video: “I work with some pretty cool guys. We storyboard together. We decide on the scenery, the actors and actresses. Most music videos are boring. It’s almost like the artist is singing in the mirror or walking around. I didn’t want that. I wanted it to be a story, so people will watch it from beginning to end. So, the story is the key, the lyrics and the music all become the analogy for the video.”
Although Sarantos has been writing lyrics since he was a small child, he’s a self-taught musician: “I have absolutely no formal training. I taught myself the synthesizer and keyboards. The lyrics are my passion, and I’ve been writing lyrics forever. In 4th grade, my lyrics started making sense, and I kept practicing.”
Sarantos music can be attributed to multiple genres, from rock to pop to country, so he has a variety of music influences: “I definitely love 80’s music, so I’ve been influenced by bands like Survivor, Journey and Michael Jackson. I also love the modern pop, soft rock music by modern mainstream artists, like Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and Bruno Mars. I try to maintain a mixture. When people hear my new song, I don’t want them to be bored and say it’s the same type of song and the same style of music. I want them to notice a lot of variety.”
What an excellent strategy. Sarantos keeps fans wanting more and keeps them surprised.
Sarantos advises: “Keep it simple and be yourself. When I speak about my music, I’m honest. I’m not trying to be a teen star or someone in their 30’s. I’m not trying to give the public what my label tells me my image is.”
The second pearl of wisdom Sarantos told me is: “Keep your day job. Don’t quit, don’t move to LA. I know how much you want it; I want it too. Keep your commitments and take it as it comes. You should pursue your music forever. Don’t give up, because you never know when it’s going to happen. Your art is an integral part of who you are, and you need to keep evolving as an artist.”
Sarantos full-length debut album Not Where I Want to Be drops November 18, and Sarantos has been preparing for it all year: “I’m trying to get the word out, do some press releases. The fans have been teased all year long with the singles and, hopefully, they will realize the album is a must-have. I’m trying to do some cool things with lyric sheets and instrumentals, the videos and offering signed copies. If fans buy the deluxe album, it will have a cool vinyl with everything that I’ve been releasing. It’s going to be more than just, ‘Here’s the 11 songs.’ It’s a well thought out project.”
I wish Sarantos all the best with his album debut. I know it will be a terrific success. To find out more about Sarantos and his new release album, go to his website.
Check out Sarantos new release music video for the single Let’s Call It Love: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkdIZJg4ynI
The Amused Now Featured Artist Series
Sarantos
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Cynthia Kahn, Founder of Amused Now
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