Interview with an internationally acclaimed multi-talented artist SDLT

Santino De La Tore (aka SDLT) is an internationally acclaimed musician, composer, songwriter and vocalist. Santino now operates his own studio in Los Angeles where he resides. He composes and produces his solo albums as well as music for Start-up’s Apps and commercials. Santino’s compositions are regularly placed in major Hollywood Films and TV series.

We recently got an opportunity to interview him for our magazine. Sharing it with our readers here.

Twist Online : Who or what inspired you to get into music industry?
SDLT : I grew up in a house with a lot of brothers and each of them are Rock fans, that stimulated the curiosity to create and to discover that making music was very natural for me, So that was the beginning of everything.
I never had the idea to enter the music industry, I started and I continue to make music because it is my passion.
When I was a rock star in Peru, it was because my voice led me to that and it was always linked to music.
When I arrived in the USA the music industry was very difficult to conquer and the more I got into it, the more I became disillusioned when I discovered the true secret behind the success of each artist, it was at that moment that I understood that it was an industry and not for the love of art. It’s been almost 10 years that I have reinvented myself and I am enjoying 100% of my art. My songs in movies and TV series are part of an industry but not related to the music industry.

Twist Online : Tell us about your recent work?
SDLT : the latest work is called “Sliding Roads” and is an analogy between music and real-life relationships. Like the sliding ups and downs of relationships, so does the slide-guitar permeate through each song. The album is an ode to the things we miss, reminisce, and either long for or learn from. It’s about the sliding roads and paths we come across when we are bound to another person, for better or for worse. Accepting those paths and past experiences and honoring them despite the end result is what makes us better versions of ourselves.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L_qIPnl7sU

Twist Online : What kind of environment is ideal for writing a song?
SDLT : Fortunately 3 years ago I built my own studio, I have all the necessary tools to produce music and I also painted and decorated my way. When I entered the studio I do not need more than 1 minute to be connected with my art. I have the habit to open a new blank session in the pro tools or in logic and I start a completely new idea that comes to me in the moment and that later becomes song.

Twist Online : What attracts you more performing on stage or working in studios?
SDLT : When I was younger I was obsessed to sing in concerts, I think it is part of that age and the desire to be recognized. Now that I am a parent and I have my studio, I really like being in the studio creating.
Singing in concert is a unique and fascinating experience … maybe when I finish my 8 productions, I’ll return to the stage.

Twist Online : You regularly make music for different movies and Tv. Which one is your favorite?
SDLT : Homeland and Ray Donovan, I really liked Kidnapped as well.

Twist Online : What’s your favorite music genre?
SDLT : I do not have a style that I listen to on a daily basis, I really like rock in its different styles, I like Massive attack type music that is kind of trip hop, I love Buena Vista Social Club that is more Latin, almost jazz, I like everything but dependes of the mood of the day.

Twist Online : What are some of the biggest achievements in your career so far?
SDLT : There are many ways to SDLT that, because the fact of being able to conquer the instrument of the voice is an achievement or the fact of being able to compose a song, is also another achievement and thus I can mention several achievements in the art of per se. If you mean the aspect of recognition and fame, I have had several stages in my life in which that has happened, but I think the most relevant are the songs in movies and television series, not only because I get the royalties in my mailbox,but also I keeps me current even if it is an old song, for example they just put a song that I composed 15 years ago in a series of MARVEL. The fact that this series is new, makes me current.

Twist Online : After getting so much fame and success what’s your next goal to achieve?
SDLT : Fame is something temporary that is useless, success for me is the accumulation of my failures, my next goal is to finish all my productions and then keep doing more! LOL.

Twist Online : Are you working on any new project?
SDLT : At the moment I am finishing an album called FORBIDDEN and it is an album that I did the lyrics with Pamela Oland, she made lyrics for Frank Sinatra, Aretha franklin, etc. And it will also be a movie.
The music is already recorded and is a fusion of rumba with jazz. Really very nice project.
Thanks so much for taking your time to interview me twistonline. Good luck guys!