I still remember the first time I heard Santigold. It was like a bolt from the blue, an upload to Myspace that sounded like nothing else around.

The trilling high vocal, that deep bassy ownership of song. She came onto the scene demanding to be noticed, and I stood to attention with my ears wide open.

Her debut album would be a big hit, and I’d soon learn her backstory; in punk bands, working at labels, understanding the wild 360 of the music industry and spitting it back and making it her own. Santigold has always done it differently, and always been one of my favourite people to chat music with, which is why I asked her to Take 5.

From Jimi Hendrix to John Coltrane, hear the songs that elevate Santi White, and the pure poetry of her telling you why.

• Jimi Hendrix - Voodoo Child (Slight Return) 
• Too $hort – Gettin’ It (ft Parliament Funkadelic) 
• Nina Simone - I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free 
• John Coltrane - A Love Supreme (Pt 1)
• Otis Redding – A Change Is Gonna Come