Singer, songwriter, producer

MY REAL NAME IS SANTI. When my parents were in college they went for a trip to Kenya or Tanzania, or some other place where they speak Swahili, and heard people saying "santi". The real word is "asante", which means thank you, but the locals said "sante" for short. My parents wanted people to be able to pronounce my name so changed the "E" to an "I". I guess it's not Swahili any more but it does mean "saints" in Italian and "peace" in Hindi.

SANTOGOLD IS A NICKNAME I got when I was about 12 because I used to have big gold earrings that said Santi on them. There was an infomercial at that time in the States for this cheap gold called Santo Gold, so my friends started calling me Santogold.

MY MUSIC IS A MASH-UP of different styles - dub, punk rock, indie rock, electronic, new wave. I also do oil paintings and make collages.

I'M FROM PHILADELPHIA, where the Declaration of Independence was signed. The area I grew up in has lots of trees and grass and old stone houses. Part of who I am comes from being in that environment. I felt a real sense of freedom as a kid. I'd run around or hop on my bike and go for miles through the city's Fairmount Park.

WHEN I WAS LITTLE, my dad used to take me to the record store and I remember buying a Power Station record and albums by U2, The Cure, Talking Heads and Salt-n-Pepa.

MY LIFE IS MY GREATEST INSPIRATION, from the bad things that happen, to the most beautiful, to the most mundane. It all finds its way into any creative endeavour that I do.

HARUKI MURAKAMI IS FUNNY AND SMART, and his book The Wind-up Bird Chronicle is so well-written. I love the way he uses fiction to describe very real emotional and psychological journeys and takes reality into magical places.

AGED 12, I INTERNED at my mum's friend's dental office - not pulling teeth but helping out with filing. It was never going to be my career.

IN MY OLD AGE, I HOPE I WILL BE relaxed and wise, which is not what I am like right now. It's an evolution.

MAKING MUSIC IS HARD. You get to thinking about how you're going to be received, how many records you're going to sell, and it can really mess things up. You have to make music just for yourself.

MY MUM ONCE TOLD ME that I had to live in the present but it took me a long time to learn how to do that. It started making sense when my dad was sick. I didn't want time to progress because I knew he was going to die.

AT SCHOOL I PLAYED FIELD hockey and lacrosse but my main sport now is snowboarding. My boyfriend is a pro snowboarder.

ONE OF MY FAVOURITE actresses is Frances McDormand, who was in Fargo and Friends With Money. There's always an element of comedy to her acting. She seems thoughtful and smart in a very raw way.

THERE'S A FREESTYLE SONG by Debbie Deb called Lookout Weekend that always makes me dance.

IF THIS WERE THE LAST SUNDAY of my life ... no, wait ... I would ... no ... wait ... that's just too freaky.

Santogold plays Glasgow's Sub Club this Friday www.subclub.co.uk. Debut album Santogold is available now

Interview by Paul Dalgarno