Savannah Cristina is giving us a little “soul therapy” — a signature term she uses to describe her music — with the release of her debut EP Self-Care, out now on all streaming platforms.
With everyone’s emotions running high due to the Coronavirus pandemic and the current political climate, the 23-year-old’s seven-song project showcases reflective and therapeutic lyrics that radiate emotional healing and the discovery of a deeper self-love; something we all need now more than ever.
While practicing self-care on a beach in her hometown of Miami, the 23-year-old jumps on the phone with Celeb Secrets reporters to talk about her debut EP and its creative process, what self care means to her, and the moment she found out Alicia Keys was a fan of her music.
Keep scrolling to read the full conversation below and let us know what you think of Self-Care EP by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
You can also connect with Savannah on Instagram by giving her a follow at @savannah.cristina.
Celeb Secrets: Congrats on the release of your debut EP Self-Care. Were there any nerves or pressure going in to this release since it’s the first time that people are going to hear a project from you?
Savannah Cristina: “No, I’m actually just really happy to do this one so I can do my next one and my next, you know what I mean? I’m just all about progression. So I think that this is the first of many and I’m just totally looking forward to people loving this one and then getting ready for the next one.”
Celeb Secrets: And it is called ‘Self-Care.’ What do you do for self care?
Savannah Cristina: “A lot of the things I do for self-care are really internal. I see like a lot of self care gurus suggesting that people buy this or use that, but really a lot of my self-care is just internal things. I like to sit and meditate. I like to think about how I feel and address my feelings. One thing I love to do is go to the beach. I’m always at the beach, that is my healing and it’s completely free. Self-care is all about honoring the way that you feel. And I like to just do whatever’s on my heart.”
Celeb Secrets: What does self care means to you? And why did you chose it as the title track which leads into the other songs on this EP?
Savannah Cristina: “I think once you understand what [self care] means, it’s different for everybody. But for me, it’s really honoring the way that you feel and taking care of your mental health and your spiritual health, but it’s so empowering. And when I wrote this song, I was really hopeless. I was relying on the validation of other people. I was relying on relationships. I was relying on friendships. And when all of those things were stripped away, I just found that the only way for me to really survive and save myself was by loving and taking care of myself. So the word and the title of this EP is really just meant for everybody to hear it, to really find power and know that everything you need is already within you.”
Celeb Secrets: All of the song titles are empowering. You have “Self Care;” “Doin’ Me;” “That’s Real;” “Gold Mine;” “Healing;” “Self Love” and “Find A Way.” What do you want people to take away from listening to this?
Savannah Cristina: “The biggest takeaway is really your ability to rebuild from ground zero. Every single time you fall, you can get yourself back up. I want this EP to just be a list of anthems, cause they’re all anthems as you see the titles stand by themselves, and they’re very empowering as an Anthem for you to be able to always bounce back from every situation that you’re in and know that you can be your own savior. You can be your own answer.”
Celeb Secrets: And what was the whole process like for you? Was it done during quarantine, some of it, or was it all done before”
Savannah Cristina: “It was all done during quarantine. I think the coolest part for me was — I love writing songs and it’s something thatI’m very well versed in — but it was being able to work with all these different producers. Working with these amazing producers brought a different side out of me in each song, and I think that was the greatest part for me.”
Celeb Secrets: Would you would say that’s your favorite memory too? Or do you have anything else that really stands out?
Savannah Cristina: “I think being in the studio with my friends, with my girlfriends who would come to a session and them being moved by the songs as I’m writing them, and really them being in the room and saying like, ‘dang, wow. You know, this is really a powerful song.’ That was something that was very memorable to me as well. Just the reaction of everybody in the room when I was creating this music.”
Celeb Secrets: You did grow up in South Florida, you’re of Dominican and Caribbean descent. Would you say anything has influenced you musically between your heritage and where you grew up?
Savannah Cristina: “I think culturally growing up in a Caribbean family, we did do a lot of Pentecostal church. I think a lot of my songs, my love songs especially, were inspired by church songs and hymns. I think church hymns are really just love songs you say to your Savior or whatever it is that you believe in, and I think that helped my writing. Growing up on gospel and songs that really touch the soul and just the concept of finding healing through music. We rely on songs to really bring us joy, especially in the Caribbean. So that was definitely a big influence when it came to music and how I write and how I create music.”
Celeb Secrets: Now you also practice soul therapy and its somewhat of a trademark to you. Can you elaborate a little more on that?
Savannah Cristina: “Soul therapy is really healing yourself. Its almost like a non-conventional way of really providing a therapeutic environment for yourself. It doesn’t have to be you sitting down with a therapist in an office sometimes. Soul therapy for me is singing a song, writing a song and dancing. Soul therapy is really just self-care and it’s you finding what it is that you need to do to heal and going out and prioritizing that above anything else, above anybody else and unapologetically. So my music is described as soul therapy because a lot of my songs are based in the idea of healing at the end of each song. I want the listener to reach a different place than they were at the beginning of the song. So that’s where soul therapy really came from.”
Celeb Secrets: It’s so crazy to see that Alicia Keys also digs your music too, because she did mention you in her Genius video. What was your initial reaction when you heard about that?
Savannah Cristina: “It’s so crazy when Alicia Keys did that, I had no idea she was going to review my song. I knew that Genius wanted to work with me, but I had no idea that they would have [Alicia] watch my video and have her do this amazing review. It’s so funny. I was actually living at a hotel at the time. It was probably one of the worst days of my life before that happened and I was sleeping in the hotel; I was miserable and I woke up to a text message. It had already been out and I didn’t even know. My friend AD was like, ‘you know, Alicia Keys loves [‘Self Care’].’ And I’m like, ‘yeah, of course, I’m sure she does. Like who doesn’t love self care. Everybody likes to take care of themselves.’ He’s like, ‘no, she loves your song [‘Self Care’].’ So I’m like, ‘what the hell?’ He sent me the link, I clicked it, and I was completely in awe. I could not believe that [Alicia] literally was, digging my song and giving me so much props. It was absolutely surreal. It’s still surreal now because she’s somebody who I grew up on. I look up to this woman, so I can’t explain the feeling. It was just beautiful.”
Celeb Secrets: I was going to say, you know, after listening to your EP, it did kind of give me a little Alicia Keys vibe.
Savannah Cristina: “Alicia Keys, Joe Scott, Beyonce — these are people who really shaped the vocalist and a songwriter that I am. It didn’t just come from nowhere, you know? I really study this process. I studied the music industry and I studied my art craft before anything else. So she definitely was a big influence for me.”
Celeb Secrets: And I know you’re only 23 and a college student. So how are you balancing all of that with the music?
Savannah Cristina: “So I actually graduated in August. Last month I went to school in quarantine and online classes, but before graduating, because it was so recent, it was really hard to balance it. I had to ask to go to LA for a really important meeting. And I had to choose between taking a final and going to LA and I completely skipped the final, failed the class because I’m like, ‘I don’t want to miss this music opportunity.’ So it was making those kinds of hard decisions that every day was always like an internal battle, but I think the key to it was prioritizing my future and what I was most passionate about. So, I got it done, but if I had to choose, I would always chose music.”
Celeb Secrets: I could kind of relate to that too, because I’m 26 I’ve been doing interviewing and reporting for about 10 years now. So I started when I was 16 and I would do everything while I was still in high school and college. I actually got out of a midterm go to a press trip for an opportunity. And I wound up taking the midterm after I came back from the press trip, because I was like, ‘I can’t miss out on this opportunity.’ So I could totally relate and understand to what you’re saying right now. It it’s crazy to me. It hits home to me so much.
Savannah Cristina: ‘It’s like a really big internal battle, but sometimes the decision is just so easy. It’s like, I can’t miss out on this. And it takes a lot of courage and a lot of bravery, but it’s always worth it. So I think you can agree. It’s always worth it.”
Celeb Secrets: And you still have your degree too. So if anything really happens, you still have that cushion to where you do have a degree and you did go to school.
Savannah Cristina: “Always. And I’m a political science major with an international relations minor. So I’m like, maybe I can run for president. I am qualified. So, you know, I feel good. I got options.”
Celeb Secrets: You said that you wanted to make more music/you’re ready to release even more music after this. What have you been working on? Have you started working on things?
Savannah Cristina: Ooh, so I have. I’ve been working on some Spanish tracks, which I’m really excited to share. I’ve been working on a lot more poetry because I’m a published poet, so my background is in poetry. And I’ve just been working on new sounds. I know what my sound is when it comes to my message. It’s always empowerment, but I think that there’s a lot of different things that I’m ready to tap into a lot of different genres that I want to try. So it’s just a lot of new same message with a new approach.”
Celeb Secrets: And what, what genres do you want to go into and is there maybe any talk of a collaboration or things like that?
Savannah Cristina: “I’ve even thought about collabing with people because I’m such a lonely [person], I always get into my zone by myself and I don’t know what it’s like to really like work with new people. I always work with friends from [Florida], so I’m excited about learning how to do that. But just delving in different genres, like indie folk, pop, more classical jazz, really just no limit on what I could do. I’m really inspired by Amy Winehouse and how she would do like ‘Moody’s Mood for Love.’ And she would really tap into that classic jazz genre. And that’s something I want to try as well.”
Celeb Secrets: Oh man. I mean, listen, you could, you could do it all. It’s 2020, you know?
Savannah Cristina: “Period!! There’s no rules. You can do whatever you want!”
Celeb Secrets: Since we’re Celeb Secrets, are there any behind-the-scenes secrets from making the EP that we wouldn’t know when listening to it?
Savannah Cristina: “So there’s a song on the EP called ‘Healing,’ and I was crying through the whole recording process of it. It was a very emotional song and I don’t cry in the studio. I’m not a crier, but there was something about that song that was so emotional. I think it was just all the instruments, the strings, you got to listen to it. That was my first song that I actually sang cried. So y’all, don’t make fun of me, but I was very emotional on that track and it sounds beautiful, but I guess that would be a secret. You wouldn’t really know unless I told you.”
Celeb Secrets: I was going to say, I did listen to the EP, and I would never think in a million years that you’d be crying during that time.
Savannah Cristina: “Yes, I was. I kicked it together, but that song is super emotional for me.”
LISTEN TO SELF-CARE EP BELOW:
