Oh, where to start when it comes to doing justice to Sandra St. Victor. (By way of full disclosure, I say this as someone who’s known Sandra for years, and I consider her a friend.) Maybe it’s better to let one of the great vocalists of our generation hold the mic on that. Says Chaka Khan: “Sandra is one of the best vocalists and songwriters I know. I am honored to know her and call her my friend.”
One doesn’t get the sense that Chaka Khan goes around dispensing superlatives for no reason, right?
Dallas, Texas-born Sandra St. Victor is a double threat: singer and songwriter. She’s the voice that’s driven the seminal black rock band, The Family Stand, since its inception in the early 90s. Along with longtime collaborators Peter Lord and V. Jeffrey Smith, the trio not only made magic, but pushed at the boundaries of the music industry’s narrow conception of “black” music by blending pop, rock, soul and funk into an intoxicating brew. Sandra and The Family Stand are both examples of the music that fed the development of the Black Alternative Audience and provided one of the many soundtracks for the #NewBlackImagination. In fact, cultural critic Greg Tate once explained that The Family Stand earned their international cult hero status because they gave
[p]erformances where impeccable musicianship, sizzling stagecraft and volcanic energy left indelible imprints on the memory on their fan’s hearts, feet and imaginations. They did what Great Black Music performances used to do on the regular–make you think hard about the world and your own inner life while you had a stomp down, sweaty, good time in the process.
A critical factor that enabled them to do that was, and is, Sandra’s charisma and voice. In the process The Family Stand wrote what many consider to be classics, such as “Sweet Liberation” and “Ghetto Heaven”. There is a reason that she was included in a recent Ebony Magazine spread on black women in rock among the likes of Tina Turner, Nona Hendryx, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Grace Jones and Skin from Skunk Anansie, to name a few.
What’s exciting is that next Tuesday, September 24 marks the release of her new album, Oya’s Daughter (Shanachie Entertainment), her first full-length solo project since 2001’s Gemini: Both Sides. It also coincides with her album release party at Joe’s Pub in NYC. This is a rare stateside appearance, since Sandra now lives full time in the Netherlands with her family.
Currently, she’s without brand partners. However, if you’re a brand that’s interested in reaching a multicultural female audience, 35+, she might be the artist for you. You’ll also reach men of a similar demo. Chalk it up to whip appeal. Seriously, though: Thanks to her rich musical history and track record both here in the States and in Europe, she has developed an incredibly loyal following.
Here’s the debut single from Oya’s Daughter, “Coming Around”:
There are a range of product categories that could work. For example, beauty. Imagine a beauty brand doing an experiential overlay with her tour, whereby it provides makeup touchups to women before the show. It’s a great opportunity to sample and demo products. Maybe Mac Cosmetics needs to get down with the Mack Diva. No pun intended, but this is really white space, since she’s still under-the-radar. But it won’t last for long.
Want to explore opportunities with Sandra St. Victor? Contact her manager
Guy Routte
W.A.R. Media
info AT warmedia DOT com
warmedia DOT com
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