Episode 9 - Lalin St Juste
Welcome to the loadout. I'm your host, Ashanti Abdulla. In each week, we take you behind the scenes of the live music industry From touring tips and industry insights to candid conversations with artists, managers, and music professionals, we uncover the stories and strategies that make live performances unforgettable. Whether you're an artist, a tour manager, or just a live music enthusiast, this podcast is your backstage pass to the world of touring and live events. On today's show, I'm really excited to sit down with the incredibly talented La'Lynne Saint Juste, the lead vocalist of the session, and a solo artist in her own room.
Ashanti:Lalin's unique voice and captivating presence have helped shape the sound of modern solo and electronic music. We'll be talking about her journey, life on the road, and what inspires her deeply personal approach to music. Let's get into it. Laline Saint Juste. Did I say that right?
Lalin St Juste:Mhmm.
Ashanti:I know everyone gets it wrong.
Lalin St Juste:Good job. I'm surprised.
Ashanti:I mean, I think I always knew you as La la, though. Like, I never knew you as La la. That's Mhmm. Mhmm.
Lalin St Juste:Now you're gonna confuse even more people.
Ashanti:I know. You're right. My bad. My bad. I'm so excited to have you on.
Ashanti:How are you doing?
Lalin St Juste:Yeah. I'm well. I'm well. I'm glad to be on.
Ashanti:That's amazing. I'm, like, I'm glad you were so quick to to respond and and wanna jump on. You're one of my favorite people. So I'm also excited to get a chance to talk to you. Yeah.
Ashanti:But let's just jump into it. How how'd you get started doing this? Doing this music stuff?
Lalin St Juste:Music stuff. Wow. I mean, it started a long time ago, and it started with me busking on the street, like, playing music on the street.
Ashanti:I can't see it. Yeah. Yeah.
Lalin St Juste:Just, you know, getting some dollar bills and change.
Ashanti:No, man.
Lalin St Juste:You know, just to build my confidence to, like, have a place that's no pressure to explore and strengthen my voice. And and then I was, like, doing cafes and, you know, just various things like that. And then eventually, I met people who I would form a band with
Ashanti:Mhmm.
Lalin St Juste:And it just took off from there.
Ashanti:Got you. That's that that's wow. Were you were you doing this in Oakland? Or
Lalin St Juste:I yeah. Actually, I did busk at the MacArthur BART station, Ashby BART station.
Ashanti:That takes a lot of, like, metal right there.
Lalin St Juste:Yeah. Yeah. It was a trip, and then you'd be you would see people who are regularly doing it. You gotta make sure you're not, like, taking anybody
Ashanti:else's feet. Space. Yeah. That's hilarious. No fist fights?
Lalin St Juste:No. No. Okay. But I legit, I would work in the morning and then, you know, get my guitar and go in the afternoon to spend, like, an hour or 2, playing music. So
Ashanti:Wow. That's unbelievable. And then you and then so then you ended up with the band. That was, like, the first foray, or did you do anything solo at first or was it just straight into the back?
Lalin St Juste:The solo stuff was the cafes and
Ashanti:Gotcha.
Lalin St Juste:But nothing serious. I had done, like, some recordings, and I had been writing songs. But then when I met Aki, we realized we had so much in common and, you know, we had been in a romantic relationship and were working on some of my solo songs, but then eventually that morphed into us having this jam session and reconnecting with various people from his previous life of like growing up and all this stuff. And from that we formed the session, which became, you know, this beautiful project that is still ongoing all these years later.
Ashanti:Yeah. Amazing. Your your your voice is, like, it's incredibly unique. Like like, what inspired you? Like, why did you why did you start?
Ashanti:You know what I mean?
Lalin St Juste:I mean, it was things beyond me that made me start to sing. Like, my first memory of singing was when my grandma passed away.
Ashanti:Oh, okay.
Lalin St Juste:And she was my maternal grandmother, and we had spent a lot of time together. And I was devastated. I was grieving. And so I have my very first memory of making music was for her. And ever since that moment, I found that this was a way that I could exist in the world, you know, especially as someone who's more on the quiet side.
Lalin St Juste:You know, I've been, you know, kind of on the shy side and, you know, and also sheltered growing up, you know, Haitian, strict Haitian upbringing. And that was my vehicle, my way of connecting to the world and to myself, you know, outside of spoken language. You know? And so it's just always been with me.
Ashanti:So that makes sense then of why, like because there's no way if you've ever been to a a La'Lynne show or a session show that you would ever think that you, at any point, were, shy in any way, shape, or form. But I so so I'm guessing the busking really kinda got you out of the show.
Lalin St Juste:Yeah. But I guess performance wise, you know, I'd break out of it. Mhmm.
Ashanti:Right. Definitely. Pretty crazy. Obviously, collaborating is a is a big part of your work with the session. How do you maintain, like, being an individual while while you're working within that collective?
Lalin St Juste:That's a great question. I think, really spending time with who I am as an artist and what my vision is, what my voice is, understanding that, you know, it's amazing to collaborate and compromise. And then also what's your own unique take or what's, what are things that you yourself can bring to the table and yeah, not allowing myself to get lost. And I think it's something that I've, I've had to develop over time.
Ashanti:You know?
Lalin St Juste:I think like, you know, and when I think back to starting this band, you know, I think about just, you know, being in my my twenties and, like, never starting a band before and and really wanting to, like, do the right thing. You know?
Ashanti:Mhmm.
Lalin St Juste:And and so and as you're collaborating, it's like, okay. Well, I'll just I'll go with this idea because I wanna, you know, do the right thing. And and that's amazing. And also over time, it's like, okay. Well, what do I also feel
Ashanti:Right.
Lalin St Juste:Would be good for this? And trusting that that's okay and trusting that it's a good idea, you know, and standing up for idea and all those things.
Ashanti:Yeah. That kind of brings me into, like like, a creative process. Like, your lyrics, they often touch on things of self discovery, vulnerability, social justice. Like, how do you approach songwriting?
Lalin St Juste:A couple of different ways. I have the channeling way where if I hear a piece of music or I'm either maybe it's something someone has produced or I've made, I allow improvisation to tell me where I want to go. You know, like what is in my subconscious that comes out when I improvise? And maybe that gives me a clue about what this song could be about.
Ashanti:Mhmm.
Lalin St Juste:But then sometimes that's not really clicking, and other times I need to come from it from sitting and writing different things out, you know, and, like, listening to the music and writing and just seeing what comes from that way. You know? Sometimes it's the melody that comes to me, and it's a a dope melody, but I don't have any words to it. And so it's gibberish. And then in that gibberish, I find what the song might be about.
Lalin St Juste:You know? And, but, yeah, that that also in terms of, like, creating music, I think just playing is is the central theme. It's just Right. Whether it's, like, playing on the instrument and just seeing what comes or playing melodically or playing lyrically.
Ashanti:Yeah. I I mean, I get so jealous of you and artists like yourself. I I mean, it it's funny when you don't have that kind of talent in your body. Not one bone of I can't even draw a straight line. But but, like, being able to write, that's just unbelievable to me.
Ashanti:You know what I mean? Unbelievable. Mhmm. Moving into, like, touring, overall, just kinda touring. I know it's excite it can be exciting but exhausting.
Ashanti:You've been you've been touring quite some time. Like, how do you mentally and physically prepare for it?
Lalin St Juste:Yeah. I I mean, it's something I would definitely still wanna dial in the more I get to do, but I think it can have, a toll on your body, on, you know, just like your sleep cycle and things like that. And so I think for me and this just goes around performance in general, ideally, that I'm, like, conditioning myself to
Ashanti:Right.
Lalin St Juste:Be ready to withstand, especially now as I get older. I think that's even more important, you know, like long car rides, you know, and making sure you have the tools to for your stretching and, have your journal to, like
Ashanti:Chains for tires just in case, you gotta go
Lalin St Juste:to the bathroom. Exactly. There's so many things I dislike.
Ashanti:That was so fun. Full disclosure. I went on, one date with, you guys to Boise, and, that was really funny. As we're driving along, Lalaine had been quiet pretty much the entire time. So I thought you were asleep, but you so weren't.
Ashanti:You still were just awake. Just listen to everybody be idiots. That was awesome.
Lalin St Juste:Right. Yeah. A whole lot of that.
Ashanti:A whole lot of it. Your favorite place? Where's your favorite? Like, what's the place that left a lasting impression on you on the on touring?
Lalin St Juste:Oh, wow. You know, I'm gonna say the first time I played in London, and it, you know, it was a really good turnout. And, you know, it was my first time being overseas to play my music, and people some of the people knew the words, and it just felt so it has a sentimental feeling because
Ashanti:Yeah.
Lalin St Juste:I was so far away from home, and people were resonating with this music, and I was able to connect with some black women there at the show too who were fans. You know? So, yeah, that was really sweet.
Ashanti:I was just yeah. That's actually you know, touring, it requires a lot of connection with fans. I'm curious how you balance maintaining that, like those connections while also protecting you. Like, you gotta protect your energy and your own well-being.
Lalin St Juste:Yeah. It's true. I mean, people want to, like, hug you and touch you. You know? They wanna be close to you.
Lalin St Juste:This is true. And I do I have generally been pretty open. I'm really grateful that for the most part, it's been really chill, you know. And but I do, you know, have certain boundaries, and and I read energy, and, you know, I'm cautious around certain people.
Ashanti:Yeah. Yeah.
Lalin St Juste:You know?
Ashanti:Oh, they're out there. You know, they're out there.
Lalin St Juste:Yeah. Yeah. And and I've that's something I've had to tap into later in my journey, and I'm still developing also. Because I think in the beginning, I was just like, okay. You can have me.
Lalin St Juste:You know? But but, you know, now it's like, oh, wait. No. I get to also keep keep keep myself. Yes.
Lalin St Juste:Yes.
Ashanti:Yep. A 1000%. Mhmm. You're be like, it's kind of outside of music. I know you're you're definitely into, like, the social aspect of life, obviously.
Ashanti:And, it can be a reflection of of, you know, life at times, the music side of things. How do you see like, how's your work fit into the larger cultural and social landscape?
Lalin St Juste:My I'll start
Ashanti:with the moment. Yeah. Well, though your how does your music fit into it? Like, specifically in this moment?
Lalin St Juste:Oh, yeah. I mean, I just did a performance where I didn't do any of my songs. Wow. I didn't do any of my songs. I just I given the moment of everything, I just created a space to feel and express.
Ashanti:And I
Lalin St Juste:mean, it was still music and but like know, I sang my Haitian Vodou songs, which is what I normally include these days. But then I also like read poetry. Marcellus Williams, had just been executed. So I read his words and brought him into the space. And so using the music to address the moment, you know, to, and so many people came up and were like, thank you.
Lalin St Juste:I've had a really busy week. I haven't had time to sit and process everything. Yeah. You know, all of that. There were tears.
Lalin St Juste:Yeah. And it just like and it's the first time I actually did something like that where I was like, okay, I'm not doing any of my, my songs,
Ashanti:you know?
Lalin St Juste:And, and for me, it just, it's what I felt also that I had to do. And so, yeah, I'm always responding to what is felt energetically or or what's happening socially, you know, in my in my landscape. You know?
Ashanti:Yeah. I mean, I'm I totally agree with that. I think it's a very much a part of, like, my day to day. You know, I'm like a unbelievable ad avid reader and and stupidly keep up with every detail of the news of the world. And so I don't I mean and then I wonder why, like, I can't sleep or, like, my brain doesn't work right all the time.
Ashanti:It's like, you know, I'm listening to all this dumb stuff. So yeah. No. I totally get it. And it it it affects it definitely affects work.
Ashanti:I know for sure. I think the the thing that happened at home for me in Minneapolis affected me probably the deepest to the point where I was, like, kinda over it for a while, like, kinda over everything. Yeah. That was wild. And I think just mainly because my daughter, you know, is, like, blocks away from, like, where they you know, where all this was happening and things were burning down.
Lalin St Juste:Yeah.
Ashanti:And just knowing that my parents, my family are at home and I wasn't there, it was pretty wild. It's like a wild thing to kinda, kinda come to terms with. But, the city has now. It's well, they're still trying to anyway. I was just there, for a week, and it's been really interesting watching, the city both be sorry for how racist they are, but at the same time, kind of ignore it too.
Ashanti:I don't know. It's just like What? Like, what? Right. It's pretty wild, man.
Ashanti:You've you've performed in a lot of diverse spaces, like intimate stuff and then larger festivals. Like, what which one do you prefer usually?
Lalin St Juste:Oh.
Ashanti:Yeah.
Lalin St Juste:I mean, I love a nighttime hot sweaty club situation. But I also love being on a big festival stage.
Ashanti:Yeah.
Lalin St Juste:And, like, being outside and feeling the wind and seeing people.
Ashanti:Yeah. You gotta move. You need space.
Lalin St Juste:Yeah. You need space, you know? But there is, you know, special shout out to, like, intimate shows too.
Ashanti:Yeah. For sure. Mhmm. How's your personal growth influenced your music?
Lalin St Juste:Oh, they're hand in hand.
Ashanti:Yeah.
Lalin St Juste:They're hand in hand. My music reflects my personal growth, and, you know, it's like all these changes and stages of my life and who I am as, like, a a black woman and a Haitian person, a a daughter, whatever. Like, all these things come through in my music, and, you know, it's a way it really is a personal way for me to heal and to process and to, exist.
Ashanti:Yeah. No. I mean, I can definitely tell that for sure. If you oh, I got a random one for you. If you could curate your own, like, your dream tour lineup, who would it be?
Ashanti:I mean, obviously, including yourself, but who else would you have on?
Lalin St Juste:Oh, wow. Oh, okay. If it's for the session, gosh, I would say just for, like, our, you know, the the history of the session
Ashanti:Yeah.
Lalin St Juste:It would be really powerful if we, were on the road with Little Dragon just because that was such a big influence for us, and it'd be like an honor, you know, paying homage.
Ashanti:Right. Right.
Lalin St Juste:And then also, why am I I just feel like I'm drawing a blank, but I really love, I was just listening to someone named Niecy Blues the other day. So, having her like, maybe she opens and then, like, for the middle slot and then little dragon head one.
Ashanti:Do you do you feel like you, you know, you play with Fantagram? I can't remember when that was. Was that last year? Is that earlier? I can't remember when it was, but you guys opened for Fantagram.
Ashanti:Do you feel like you guys crushed them that day? Because I did.
Lalin St Juste:Oh my god.
Ashanti:I'm just kidding. I'm totally kidding. I'm totally kidding.
Lalin St Juste:I would never.
Ashanti:No. They're awesome. They're great people. Great band. Great band.
Ashanti:Great band. Great people. Very nice. No. That that show is insane.
Ashanti:Yeah. It worked really well on that stage too. That was just That
Lalin St Juste:was fun. Yeah.
Ashanti:That was super fun.
Lalin St Juste:It's a great stage.
Ashanti:If you had to pick your favorite festival, which which one would that be?
Lalin St Juste:Oh, that I played at?
Ashanti:Yeah.
Lalin St Juste:Oh, I guess I would go with the one I've played at the most Yeah. Which is Tree Fort. You know, it's so sweet. It's small. I don't feel overwhelmed.
Lalin St Juste:They've supported us so so much, and, like, we've had such sweet interactions in that town, you know, when we go and stay. So yeah.
Ashanti:Yeah. I mean, I definitely I had never been, or no. I had been, but I hadn't I just it'd been so long. My my memory did not serve me right. And I was very surprised at how good the food was in, Boise.
Ashanti:Oh. Very, very surprised. I was not expecting that. But it was a fun time too. Very fun time.
Ashanti:What was I gonna say? I if it when it comes to touring, there's gotta be, like, you have to have some sort of crazy there's gotta be a story of some sort. There's gotta be something I can jog out of your memory of you being like, oh, yeah. This stands out to me. Oh,
Lalin St Juste:in touring. I mean
Ashanti:Besides white white knuckling it through the, through the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Lalin St Juste:Right. That was pretty scary. I would say, you know, speaking about, like, being overseas earlier, and, this was the second time we went to the UK, and we're driving ourselves out there. And we, like this time, we're in a van for 3 vans, so it's like a 12 passenger or I don't know. It's some kind of big van.
Lalin St Juste:Yep. And one of the other band people, you know, one of the other acts was like, okay. I'll finally take a turn trying to drive this big ass van. So we, like, practice in the parking lot, and, you know, that seemed to go alright. And then as soon as we left the parking lot, we sideswiped another vehicle.
Lalin St Juste:Oh, no. And lost the side view mirror of the van.
Ashanti:Oh, no.
Lalin St Juste:And then we had to go and find a mechanic. We're, like, in, you know, I don't know what kind of UK town we're in, and we have to, like, go to a mechanic and, you know, get a whole new mirror and, like, all the things. And, yeah, that that was just, like, stressful and Definitely. Yeah. And we just I would love to eventually not ever have to drive myself ever.
Ashanti:I mean I mean, you know, honestly, once the guy I keep referring to it because it it there's some moments about it that cracked me up. You know, I didn't even know you drove before, before Boise and before everyone had been drinking and so you drove. Remember when you pulled up on me and I had, like, left, I don't know, keys or a phone or something, And you were driving the van, and I was like, wait. You drive? Like, I had no idea.
Lalin St Juste:Yeah. I do. But that one, I told everyone, I'm not
Ashanti:It wasn't happening. Yeah. It's not happening. Yeah.
Lalin St Juste:It was, like, 6 weeks out from donating a kidney. I was like, I'm gonna chill and sleep.
Ashanti:True indeed. True indeed. True indeed.
Lalin St Juste:But I will pull up as a DD for sure for the boys.
Ashanti:For sure. If you if you had, like, what I've asked you a couple of questions that are kind of around the, like, what would you impart, you know, to other people, the wisdom side of things? First is just like on the general music topic. What do you have to say to people that look like you? Maybe do well, that'll just be very hard for someone to sound like you.
Ashanti:But I look like you and are getting into this and they wanna do this. What what is your, like, kinda main theme that you'd like to, to get to them?
Lalin St Juste:To just keep persisting that, you know, it's like it is it is hard, especially, you know, I'm I'm a dark skinned black woman, you know, and I grew up in a time where, you know I mean, and it's still not the coolest thing to be. And, you know, I've had to just see my worth and acknowledge my worth. There have been times I've even been, you know, criticized, you know, for my appearance and all these things. And it's like, it's really about what you're trying to put out into this world. And so I think just persisting because it is hard.
Lalin St Juste:It you know, the society doesn't value it. You're trying to make some money. You're trying to do your thing, and and it's so discouraging. And so the most powerful thing I think anyone can do is just to stick with it.
Ashanti:Yeah. Yeah. I I totally agree. I I mean, obviously, I can't speak on that behalf because I'm not a black woman, but I Mhmm. I hear you a 1000%.
Ashanti:If you when it comes to touring, for people that are just getting out there and just starting to tour, what are your what would you say to them? Like, what's the one piece of wisdom that you would wanna impart on them?
Lalin St Juste:I mean, just be ready for to do a lot of work. You know? It takes
Ashanti:a lot of work.
Lalin St Juste:Don't get discouraged. You know? Like, it it takes time to, like, build during history. I'm still working on that myself. And, you know, I think just making sure that you're ready, that all the things are in place to make it successful, as successful as it can be.
Lalin St Juste:You know? Like, do you have the right, promotional plan? Do you
Ashanti:have, you
Lalin St Juste:know, ways to generate buzz so that you can promote the shows? You know? Are you playing? You know? Are the bills strong so that, you know, it's all the attendance can be there?
Lalin St Juste:You know? There's just really not rushing into it and planning ahead to make sure that it can be something that hopefully is profitable.
Ashanti:Yeah. Yeah. I mean, that's that's the reason why I build turn, Will, is to help people be profitable. That's, like, the main thing is for people to come back profitable, And and for people that are kinda young and starting to learn as well as people that are already moving and grooving or and are a part of it to be able to really organize themselves. But, yeah, I mean, I agree with you.
Ashanti:Profitability is a big part of it. Yeah. I've so many people go out and lose money and are like, I'm good. Not doing it again. You know what I mean?
Ashanti:Actually, I was just I was just listening to this, man. I think that's I don't even know who I who it was, but I was listening to someone saying how they weren't making any money, and they were the touring's dead, and they were just annoyed with it. And then they were talking about the cost of their bus, and I was like, well, that's the biggest reason why you're not making any money. Like, why are you on a bus? You know what I mean?
Ashanti:Like, understanding what you really need. You know? You don't need
Lalin St Juste:a bus.
Ashanti:You're right. It's $25. Like, what are you thinking? Of course, you can't make any money. Yeah.
Ashanti:So yeah. Like, totally. I totally agree with you.
Lalin St Juste:Yeah.
Ashanti:As far as, live shows, what what do you have to say about that as in in parting? Oh, you know, really, I'm more interested I think I'm way more interested on you know, I mean, you you tour with a band mostly. Sometimes you don't, but mostly with a band. Mhmm. And being a female, how does that how is that?
Ashanti:And, like, what do you have to share about that?
Lalin St Juste:Yeah. I'm I'm in a band with 5, guys, cishet guys. Yeah. And, and, you know, luckily, we're all one big family. It is different in the sense of, like, yeah, you know, sense of humor.
Lalin St Juste:And, I mean, they're a whole lot of fun, and, they look out for me, and, I look out for them. And, you know, it doesn't it's not it's not too big of a deal. You know? Like, at this point, I get to sleep in my own bed, which is great. Right.
Lalin St Juste:If we have to share beds, they do that. So, yeah, it's it's it's been okay. Sometimes it's nice to have, like, a little balance of energy, but
Ashanti:Definitely. Definitely. I can only imagine. I mean, I do imagine. I was just in, Duluth with my mom, my pregnant sister, my daughter, and my wife.
Ashanti:And so and I had to drive them all around. It was quite the, experience for sure. But, no, I mean, obviously, touring's a little different, especially with guys. Guys are annoying as hell. So Oh, yeah.
Ashanti:I can only imagine. Yeah. I you know, thank you so much for taking the time, to come on and spend some time, like, chopping it up with me. Like I said, you're one of my favorite people ever. Probably one of the most talented people I know too.
Ashanti:Oh, awesome.
Lalin St Juste:So I
Ashanti:was really, really excited to get a chance to talk to you. Anything you wanna say about Turnwheel?
Lalin St Juste:Oh, I'm just really excited that it exists. I think we need things like that. And, yeah, I I haven't started a tour with it yet, but I can't wait to use it because I think it'll be super helpful and have everything organized, and I'll learn more. You know? But so I just, yeah, like, in the user experience of it, I I'm looking forward to seeing how it supports us.
Lalin St Juste:So
Ashanti:Awesome. How is your, how's your kidney doing?
Lalin St Juste:Oh, it's doing good. I just gotta drink my water.
Ashanti:Or should I say lack thereof for me?
Lalin St Juste:It's good. It's good. I gotta write some songs about it still.
Ashanti:Yeah, man. What the hell? Write some songs. Cool. Well, I appreciate I really appreciate you taking the time again.
Ashanti:Always a pleasure to talk to you, and, I will talk to you soon.
Lalin St Juste:Okay.
Ashanti:Thank you. Take take it easy. Thanks for tuning in to the load out. This episode was produced by me with music by the incredible Mike and additional editing and mixing also by Mike. If you enjoyed this conversation, don't forget to subscribe and rate the podcast.
Ashanti:Follow me at probably Ashanti on all platforms. Until next time, keep buying those tickets. Peace.