Alt-Pop Artist Son Savage Talks About His Comeback Single “The River”

Lebanon-born, Dubai-based singer, songwriter, and music producer Son Savage reveals his new track ‘The River’, his comeback release after a 6-year hiatus and the first off his long-anticipated album Folie à Deux (Madness of Two) coming out this October. The singer-songwriter talked to ai love music about his musical inspirations, the making of his newest single, as well what to expect with his upcoming album.

Check out what Son Savage said about the meaning behind his newest single and what was production like. Also, check out Son Savage’s “The River” down below, and let me know what you think!

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Hello! Could you please introduce yourself!

I am Son Savage, born Charbel Ghanime and I write, produce and perform a genre of Alt-Pop music inspired by grassroots sounds.

How did you get into music? How has that journey been since then?

Music came as an existential answer to losing my maternal grandmother at an early age. Since then, I have gone in and out of bands, released experimental projects & EP’s, performed in front of 10’s thousands of people, and today am finally able to present to the world my vision and sound which is the culmination of my entire musical journey.

What musical genres and artists influence you?

Essentially, my music is pop – it follows a verse, pre-chorus, chorus structure. I picked up a lot of my songwriting approach during my time in Gothenburg, Sweden where I co-wrote with some of Europe’s finest songwriters. My twist on pop music, however, is the infusion of multiple sub-genres within my composition. This includes Soul, Funk, Blues, Motown, Gospel, Rockabilly, Rock & Roll, and other sounds mostly rooted in the ’60s-’80s.

Let’s talk about your latest single “The River”. What is it about?

The River is about doing things over and over again in hopes that the end result would somehow change, but you end up going “down and back again and down and down” all over again in an endless toxic loop.

What inspired you to write it?

There was a time in my life when I found myself going back into and out of a particularly toxic relationship. It felt like I was being sucked into it, being promised that things would be different, only to end up where we started.

It features a very relaxing 80s-inspired synthpop feel. Was there any reason why you use this?

As I said, I have an absolute love for anything that came out between the ’60s and ’80s as I feel like that music speaks to me on an entirely different level. I don’t particularly plan on using specific sounds in my songs, but somehow always end up borrowing motifs from that era.

What was production like?

Production was challenging. This song and the entire album were conceived during a global pandemic. I had to work with a lot of my collaborators and session musicians on a remote basis, and lots of back-and-forths via email and video calls. But that also allowed me to reach out to musicians I may have not been able to work with physically otherwise.

Let’s talk about your upcoming album ‘Folie à Deux’ that is coming out very soon. Could you tell us a little about it?

The album features 12 songs including ‘The River’ and will be coming out sometime around mid-October of this year. Just like ‘The River’ approaches toxic patterns in relationships, the rest of the album explores love as a form of mutual madness (Folie à Deux is French for “Madness of Two”) and that comes with a whole lot of different themes and topics. The production and arrangement would be what you would expect of someone working on a passion project in one of the most difficult years – I held nothing back at all. You’re gonna hear gospel choirs, guitar solos, sax solos, vocoders & talkboxes, and a range of upbeat and slower tracks.

What do you want listeners to listen for in your music?

Genuinity. I worked on this with my whole heart, and I hope it translates over with listeners. I hope I’ll be able to speak to people who can relate to the stories I’m telling and maybe give them some comfort in knowing they’re not alone. I also want to reach people who love a good pop song, because that’s what I do at the end of the day.

Any future plans?

Plenty! I’m currently developing the second music video for the album single which will come out on the release day. I’m also putting together the most amazing backing band I’ve ever had the chance to jam with! Collectively, we will be known as Son Savage & the Saints and I can’t wait for venues to start opening again for us to perform in front of live audiences all over the world!

Make sure to follow Son Savage on the following:

Official Site | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube | Spotify | Facebook

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