Susan Santos (Badajoz, 42 years old) has not been called Susana for many years now, not even by her mother or any of her five siblings, all older. It is only a small first indication of her unconventional condition: a rocker, a guitar virtuoso, a very well-known artist in Europe and not so much in the peninsular lands and, if we are going to break away from the norm, left-handed for everything “from the age of zero”. With the pencil she was not contradicted; with the guitar, in a family without a single artistic background, at first she was. But Susan —brilliant, conscientious, tenacious— usually gets her way, even if it takes time. Her sixth LP, Sonorawhich was received very positively in the English-speaking press on both sides of the ocean, is a good example of this.
Ask. Are you conventional in any way?
Answer. I had never thought of it in those terms, but maybe I’m a fan of being contrary. When you’re truly passionate about something, like the guitar and music, you don’t stop to think about the difficulties you’ll encounter.
P. Is green your color, judging by the guitar?
R. It was custom built for me by a craftsman in Santa Clarita, California, so I treated myself to having it in that style. green surfvery characteristic of the fifties. As there are few guitars for left-handed people, almost all of them are made of wood, white or black, the most common colours. And no.
P. Was it difficult for you to find female role models when you were starting out?
R. No, because I have always been inspired by American sounds and there have always been great women there; from the pioneers of jazz and blues, to my great inspirations, like Bonnie Raitt or Patsy Cline. If you really like something, you give yourself to it and there are no boundaries.
P. And that impeccable English?
R. I always think that if you set out to do something, you should do it better than well. In many English-speaking reviews, they admit that they are surprised by my nationality because they don’t notice any accent.
P. Is she always this meticulous about everything?
R. I understand perfectionism as an evolution, a way of feeling proud of what I am going to defend. But in live performances I am more inclined to let myself go, improvise and throw myself into the mud.
P. ?Sonora It is the least disc blues from an artist of blues like you?
R. Labels are not my thing. I just want to write songs and have each one tell a story, almost like a short film, far from the clichés of sex, drugs and rock and roll.
P. No bad life?
R. I was a very good student and now I like to take care of myself. I always carry trainers in my suitcase and I have even participated in popular races. But, as a good rocker, I am no saint: if I said I was a good girl, my friends would laugh. I am not a cloistered nun; I only advocate enjoying life without ending up dragging yourself along the ground.
P. It’s been 15 years since your first album was released. Have you had to deal with many disappointments along the way?
R. I have never threatened to throw in the towel. I have taken on more circumstantial jobs, such as my two years in The Mornings from TVE, because neither the records nor the bills pay themselves, but I always knew that I was my own project. I alternated my first years in Madrid with teaching from Monday to Wednesday at an academy in Badajoz. I gave guitar lessons until I died!
P. Have you celebrated the recording of Sonora with any new tattoos?
R. Just this summer I got a tattoo on my left arm of a guitar pick with a cactus inside. Experiences like visiting the Joshua Tree desert, where I took the opportunity to record the music video for Hot rod ladyThey represent a before and after, the beginning of a different stage in life. The magnetism of those sunsets or the spectacular wind is unmatched, no matter how much they warn you to be careful with tarantulas and rattlesnakes.
P. And in 2025, what?
R. Hopefully it will be just as good as this year, but tripled. And with some free time to visit cliffs and go hiking.
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