California native, Saro, is the perfect blend of electronic layering, emotional vocals, and a dash of pop for good measure. Since his debut track, Two Suns, Saro has released two 7-track albums and several enticing singles; his latest, Daddy I Love Him, draws from a culmination of many experiences and relationships throughout his life to produce something truly beautiful.

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How do you see your community influencing you as a person and as a musician?

 I am very influenced by community, especially more recently now that I have immersed myself in it. I am so inspired by my LGBT+ community in every way, my aesthetic, my sound, my movement. All of my dancers are queer, most of my team is too; they are such a big influence on me and everything I do.

            What about the community where you live?

I just recently moved from West Hollywood back to the Valley, which is where I’m from. It so much slower and relaxed here; I love it—thereʻs parking! Strange enough, two of my best friends, who aren’t even from here—one is from Tennessee and the other is from Orange County—just randomly moved to the valley as well. I feel like I have a very close community here because of them but also because my family is here—my immediate family all live in like a 3-mile radius from me and my friends aren’t much further from me. Its so nice being so close to my family because I get to see my nephews all the time now and Iʻm so close to them; they face time me every…two hours and ask me to come over to play Call of Duty with them.

            Are you an avid gamer?

               Iʻm such a gamer!

             What’s your favorite game?

That’s such a hard question. Umm I think my all-time favorite is Final Fantasy VII because I just replayed it. Final Fantasy X is insane and maybe better but seven has this nostalgia because I remember being so young playing it and never wanting to turn it off and getting in trouble because I would sneak and play it until like two a.m. I decided to replay it because theyʻre coming out with the remake this year, so I wanted to refresh the memory of it. Super Smash Brothers melee is up there too.

Do you have a favorite console?

I just got a PS4 during the pandemic because of the remake. Before that, I was only gaming on a computer for years. I had an Xbox in college, but I still used my PC; computer is definitely my preferred. I might start twitch streaming this year because I love gaming so much.

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What was it like performing at Raising Voices last weekend?

Because of the pandemic there were a lot of regulations put in place. I could only bring so many guests and I couldn’t go in and out of the venue or walk around. Its such a large space, like a 77000-cap venue, and there were only 500-2000 people there, so it felt really empty, but once I got past that, it felt more like a private party.  I usually perform with a full band and some dancers for a show that size, however I found out I was doing the show about a month before, so I decided to only go with dancers. I had four dancers and a few rehearsals beforehand, It was a short set of only about 5 songs, so we had plenty of time to prepare and get the routines down. I also got to hang out with the people I invited after my set, so we had a little dance party during the other sets.

            How many years of dance experience do you have?

I am actually not a trained dancer! Whenever I have a show or something I need to dance for, I will work with the dancers and choreographers as much as I can. Iʻm usually off in my own world and the choreographer will work it into my world and the dancers will perform around me in their own space. I don’t learn too much. I will usually have two or three moves I hit with the dancers, otherwise I just have marks I go to around the stage.

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What inspired Daddy I Love Him?

This was a culmination of a lot of things. When the idea first came it to mind it was like a narrative and the line came to mind, the song developed from a relationship and after we stopped seeing each other romantically he got a snake tattooed on his face. His face was almost the cover of the track, but I switched it up at the last minute. When I ran into him about a year later, the tattoo actually looked really nice. After that, I was like “Wait! This song is actually about this other guy I dated”. I was living with my dad at the time, and he was always over, and my dad could not stand him. He randomly had to move back to Ohio and that kind of ended the romance; I think my dad was pretty happy about that.

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Four festival/parade essentials?

I am such a festival kid; I’ve been going to Coachella since 2009 so I should have a good answer to this! Back stage passes haha! No, let’s be serious about this. Sunscreen, a hot boy, cute sunglasses, and I think I’m going to stick with all access passes.

 

What does nostalgia mean to you?

               Nostalgia to me, is a feeling you thought you would never feel again. I felt that the other day so strongly, it was so intense and so beautiful. I was really into EDM music in like 2007 and I went to a music festival—I was pretty young, but I somehow got to go to this festival—and it was at the coliseum that I performed this weekend, when I stepped on that field the other night, I had that exact same feeling that I felt when I was at that festival; it chilled through my whole body. There was a calmness in the air but there was slight breeze than you could only feel when in a coliseum. I have chills talking about it now! It was such a beautiful moment.

 

What juice would you be?

Lately I’ve been on a health kick so I would say, celery but with a kick, maybe some cayenne. So, Celery, cayenne, lemon juice. Its healthy, good for you, stable but still packs a punch you weren’t expecting, My old self would have been like “JUNGLE JUICE”. Jungle juice should be my answer, but I feel like I’m older now and being mindful and healthy.

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How has finding your voice and developing your career helped you come into your sexuality confidently?

I think it has helped me articulate my feelings. Writing, building sounds from scratch, and working with people in intimate ways that most industries don’t get to experience has helped me become more in tune with my emotions and has made me more confident in myself and in my sexuality. It has changed how I carry myself and how I enter relationships and interact with others. You have to find the love inside yourself and figure out your emotional strengths.

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What album do you think of when you hear the term “nostalgia”?

The first thing that comes to mind is In Rainbows. It was around the same time as the festival. That was just a very pivotal time in my life musically and emotionally. I remember hearing in rainbows for the first time; I was a lone at my friendʻs house, sleeping over in the guest room, and I had my earbuds in, and I heard Nude and it just changed me.

What is the best advice youʻve been given?

               Ignore the voices in your head.

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How did you piece together your Red In The Grass Playlist?

That’s an OLD playlist, I’m actually in the midst of making a new one—I was listening to it the other day. It was just some of my favorite things at the time; my taste is so eclectic so its all over the place.

So, what’s the new one going to be called?

I think its going to be something darker like Underworld Dreams or like Shadow Eclipse. Iʻve been listening to a lot of Eartheater, Cobra, Cocteau Twins; Iʻm constantly listening to The Smiths.

 

What does the success of Somebody Like You and Eyelids mean to you?

The success of those two songs really means a lot to me. Eyelids was completely an indie release; I started a record label with some friends, and we put that song out. It was wild to see how well it was perceived and how it has grown. Somebody like you was a song that I wrote with a friend that wasn’t supposed to come out with my vocals. That one feels really cool because it was never supposed to happen.

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~Reagan Thornley