Everything You Need To Know About St. Lucia
St. Lucia has been heating up the summer with appearances at Governors Music Ball and Lollapalooza. Now, the singer's highly anticipated first album. When The Night, is finally here. With that in mind, we wanted to help you get to know the singer a little bit better.
1. St. Lucia is actually one man: Jean-Philip Grobler.
Yet, he does play with a band when he's on tour. The group includes two Nicks, Ross and his girlfriend Patricia Beranek, who also contributed vocals to the album.
2. The name comes from a resort town in South Africa.
"The name came about from me just closing my eyes and sticking a pen on a map of South Africa," Grobler explained in an interview with Standard Culture. "St. Lucia was the fifth place that the pen landed on."
3. Grobler is from Johannesberg.
Like Pretty Little Liars star Sasha Pieterse and Dave Matthews, Grobler hails from South Africa. Now, he calls Brooklyn home.
4. He attended the Drakensberg Boys' Choir School.
Grobler was one of 100 or so boys that attend the world famous school and performed in the choir. He and the group toured the world with performances in Australia, Japan and all throughout Europe.
5. "Elevate" is the best song of the summer that you probably didn't hear.
The song, which came out late in the summer, was exactly what fans needed to get through August. The song served as a soundtrack to lounging at the beach, sipping cocktails and just enjoying the ocean breeze.
6. Radiohead's OK Computer had a big impact on him.
"The album that really got me interested in how to create weird sounds, and pretty much changed my life, was OK Computer. Funnily enough, my parents bought it for me because it was recommended to them, and the first 2 times I heard it I absolutely hated it. But, because it was the weekend and nothing was open, I was forced to live with it for the weekend, and after a few listens it really opened itself up to me. I’d literally never heard anything like it before that. So, for years after that I would just dream about how I could make these sounds."
7. He likes producing other artists' music more than making his own.
"One of my favorite things is producing other artists, because, in many ways, it’s a lot more freeing than working on your own music," Grobler said in an interview. "So, I’d love to work with people who are very open about their sound, and ready to experiment to find something new. I’m all about throwing shit against a wall and hoping it sticks. Most of the time it does, if you trust it to."
8. He's a fan of VH1 You Oughta Know Artist, Haim.
"I think HAIM are going to destroy," Grobler told YandP.tv. "They kind of have the perfect formula (not that it’s a formula). 3 beautiful sisters who play their instruments like rock gods and don’t hold anything back."
9. St. Lucia is a coffee addict.
"I will readily confess that I'm a coffee addict," Grobler told HuffPo. "Often when you're on the road it's hard to find, but my day is made all the better when I can have a really good cappuccino made from really good espresso. These are first world problems though, so I can definitely cope with a good cup of drip coffee."
10. Grobler is really easy on the eyes.
From his appreciation for (and ability to pull off) floral prints, to his pretty face, Grobler makes St. Lucia look so dreamy.
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[Photo: Neon Gold Records]
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[Photo: MTV Hive]
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[Photo: MTV Hive]
[Photo: MTV Hive]
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[Photo: Getty]
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[Photo: Getty]
If you still haven't listened to his new album, check it out here.
[Photo: Getty]