Photo by Sean Thomas
Let's cut to it: Why did it take Santi White four years to follow up her breakthrough debut album? Well, there was the writer's block. And crippling self-doubt. And her choice to stay out on tour an extra year to solidify her fanbase. And a management shift to Jay-Z's Roc Nation. And a label switch from the relatively small Atlantic subsidiary Downtown to Atlantic proper. Plus, she's a perfectionist.
When we meet up at Atlantic's midtown Manhattan office, White is thinking about the right font to use on her new album's cover. The singer scrolls through about 15 vintage sleeves she's saved onto her iPhone-- Talking Heads' Naked, the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's, the NSFW version of Hendrix's Electric Ladyland-- in an effort to conjure some font inspiration. She's still undecided: "Everything takes a long time to get right, you know?"