Brooklyn-born, Grammy-winning SAINt JHN has written music for Rihanna, Kanye West, and Usher. He's collaborated with Beyonce, Future, and Lil Uzi Vert (among many others). And just today, he released his long-awaited new album, Festival Season.
When I tell him I've been a fan since 2016, he immediately shoots back, "Which songs are your favorites?" When I tell him I love the obvious "Roses" and "Trap," but also deep cuts like "Borders" featuring Lenny Kravitz, he proudly tells me, "Nothing on my new album sounds like those." SAINt grew up going back and forth between East New York and Guyana. "I went to five high schools in New York," he says chuckling.
"I was one of those delinquent kids. Any of the kids that went to mad high schools is because they was getting kicked out and was just doing wild stuff." Below, he and I discuss how he fell in love with the art of rap and the cypher, growing up on music videos, lessons from writing music for other artists, his philosophy of personal style evolution, and plenty more.
Fit One Open Gallery Jacket by Christian Sex Club, shirt by Walter Van Beirendonck, overalls by Carhartt, bag by Rimowa, glasses by Maison Margiela, and shoes by Timberland x Louis Vuitton. When did you first find a passion for music? When I was 12, my brother was rapping and I just followed him down that rabbit hole. I saw him in a cypher and I fell in love with the idea of it.
I didn't really know what it was about, but I liked the excitement around it. I liked h.