For Dani Bojorges-Giraldo, also known as St. Panther, music has always been a collective enterprise. As we sit down to talk about their upcoming album, , the Chicano/Colombian, LA-raised singer-songwriter is eager to locate their work within their community, a sentiment they express from the jump: “I feel strongly that we need less performance of community, and more musicians that are consistent in being actively invested in who they’re speaking to; it only improves the experience of sharing.”
The love affair between community and music rooted itself in St . Panther’s life from an early age. Their Dad would often play the family piano alongside their Mum, who would occasionally join in with backing vocals. Dad, a formative early force in their musical exploration, cultured their sonic palette with eclectic artistic influences, ranging from Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” and Elvis’s " Heartbreak Hotel", and “O Pato” by João Gilberto.
In school, a series of teachers recognised St. Panther’s evident skill, encouraging them to read, write, and feel music, cultivating their early interest into a recognisable capability. During this developmental time, Giraldo leaned into music which, whilst rooted in their father’s mixtapes, pointed toward a more distinct creative profile. Inspired by the work of The Gorillaz, Amy Winehouse, Solange and "anything J Dilla”, Giraldo sought to carve out their own creative nook, tethered by influences of soul, Motown, and Chicano classics.
An early career break came when Scott Vener, a music curator with OTHERtone, used their early track “Playa” in the series finale of HBO’s smash hit Ballers. They gained further momentum when Pharrell played their early track “Time gon change the Weather” on Apple’s OVO sound radio show, bringing them onto the radar of industry heavyweights; St. Panther glowingly expanded on the value of this support, "In 2020, Q-Tip called to sign me and offer mentorship, but instead became a friend I don’t bother often, but sees me so clearly as an artist. His encouragement specifically made me realise I had carved out a space.”
Equipped with an authoritative creative community, St Panther would lead the production of Makeout Reef’s breakout LP, , and release music under the moniker, Quiet Girl. “In truth, there’s a laundry list of local artists that allowed me to practice producing on them with the extremely limited setup I had at the time. Each of them helped grow different stages of my production approach,” St. Panther explains. “Quiet Girl specifically, it developed my multitude as both a vocalist and a producer. It was a side project with no interference from what music would come out on my part, one of three active SoundClouds I had, embracing a genre-less approach. Both of those projects were staples in learning and understanding the extent of the material I could offer creatively, which helped me refine it from there.”
These emergent experiences culminated in 2020, with the release of their breakout EP, . The obvious course would have been to ride the momentum of the album's success; St.Panther felt differently. They turned towards their community, their heritage, and the realisation that their early success was a shared endeavour. What followed was a five year hiatus from releasing music, a time they used to “become a member of their wider village”.
feels like the fulfillment of their musical hibernation. Inspired by the love affairs of Pancake, their beloved cat and neighbourhood heartthrob, the album is a treasure trove of past loves and the memories they leave with us. Constructed alongside longtime co-producer Chris McClenney, whose production credits include H.E.R., Khalid, and Jamila Woods, and boasting features from Houston’s Reggie and longtime drummer C.C. Hamilton, it’s a patchwork lesson in unobstructed collaboration.
The album's lead single “EAST SIDE GIRL” is a stylish standout amongst an album of smooth listens. Vocally, St. Panther embodies a soulful vibrato that’s reminiscent of soul giants such as D’Angelo and Erykah Badu, though their vocal dexterity ensures it’s an intentionally individual performance. Weaving between soulful singing, jazz scats, and melodic Rap, St. Panther embodies sibling vocal personalities, using their versatility to deliver lines like “I keep providing what the players lack / maybe that’s the reason she keeps coming back”.
St. Panther is an artist unfazed by the trappings of commercial success, which is no easy feat for an artist whose backers include former US First Lady Michelle Obama. Their career ambition isn’t to top Billboard’s 100 or to boast a cabinet full of Grammys (though I’m sure they wouldn’t mind); in sincere, swaggy earnest, it’s to give back, I’ll let them sum it up best: “I’m thankfully alive to see the impact of having a musician in the neighbourhood. Kids start getting curious about music, the neighbourhood lights, and people start feeling safe to listen to their own music at full volume, but the thing that sticks is when you influence people with similar backgrounds to join you in dreaming and trying at a better life. That’s always the flag I’m waving with my presence.”