Lyrics
Analysis of Santigold – L.E.S Artistes
"L.E.S." stands for Lower East Side, which is
where Santigold moved to when she wanted to pursue a career in music.
A quotation by the artist talking about the underlying
meaning of the song:
"Well, it's 'L-E-S Artistes' and it stands for Lower
East Side. It's not a French thing, it is playing on the fact that everyone
tries to make things fancy and it's really pretentious. The song is about me
moving back to New York, feeling really vulnerable, wanting to be an artist
soaking up all simulation creatively but at the same time staying introverted
and in my own mind. At the same time, it's about being accosted by the New York
scene and the scenesters and hipsters, who are really not artists and are just
pretending to be. They're all about just being seen."
Therefore, when creating my music video, even though I am
creating more abstract filming, the lyrics may influence my choices when coming
to dress-code, setting and colour schemes. I think this song has an ideal
representation of today’s society – trying to fit in by making yourself look
more 'elaborate'. The idea that image is everything – this can be broken down
to the lyrics ‘I see you good, you forced faker’ suggesting that the song
explores her feelings towards people who think they’re something they’re not.
It’s about branching out from the Lower East Side where she, as an artist, grew
up. Later moving to New York and breaking the mould from the modern black
artist creating hip-hop, to openly creating something she really wanted to.
That all these people she used to be associated with, really knew nothing about
the career or path she wanted to pursue.
A quote from a review I found on this song
states ‘I think she's saying that as a creator she has had to give up things,
including some relationships, but what's ultimately more important is the work
she's doing (music) and getting out her message. She only hope that the art she
creates and the lives she changed will be worth the things and people she's had
to give up personally' Which I believe is very accurate if you take into
account when the lyrics say 'What I'm searching for, to tell it straight, I'm
trying to build a walk, walking by myself, down avenues that reek of time to
kill.' 
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