Funk / Acoustic / Soul for peace love and positivity.

SONGWRITER 
Great with lyrics and hooks, unique ideas, looking to collaborate and make music that moves!

About Sonny St. James

Sonny St. James is a singer-songwriter whose world travels from Bosnia to Japan have made her an astute observer of the universal emotions in all cultures.  Though she’s honed her craft of songwriting melody, strong hooks and lyrics, her greatest gift is her ability to whisper the truth of the human heart.  

Her songs are both catchy and complex, raw and fearless explorations of personal heartache and transcendence.  Sonny’s songs wrap around your heart the first time you hear them, and reveal deeper meaning with each new listening.  

With a breathy, seductive voice that is tough yet vulnerable, sexy yet subtle, Sonny St. James calls to mind not only contemporary artists but also invokes the sultry yearning of a vulnerable heart. 

Sonny has worked with some of the music industry's best, including longtime Timbaland collaborator Bill Pettaway.  Many of her recent tracks have been produced by the legendary keyboardist Matt “Doctor” Fink of Prince’s backing band The Revolution.  “When you listen to the songs of Sonny St. James, you feel like she’s alone in the room with you,” says Dr. Fink.  “Her singing is so intimate, it’s like she’s whispering a secret just to you.”

slowly building my castle out of guitar strings and piano keys

The wide-open spaces of the central midwest and the narrative culture of black gospel music made the most unlikely foundation for me musically. In songwriting you have the daunting task before you of saying something new. Or at least saying it in a way no one has said it before you. 

I don't try to make my folk roots talk to my black heritage. But what I can say is that my simple approach to soul music somehow makes my songs sound like estranged folk; the songs i write are not quite comfortable saying saying they're home in either genre. 

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A little about myself: I've self-recorded 3 EP's and 2 full-length albums, both released independently. I've written hundreds of songs, some of them better than others. I've collaborated with a lot of people, few of whom you've heard, but all of which you wish you had. 

Music, for me, has always tied together what didn't previously make sense for me. I hope my songs can do that for you.

Cheers,

Derrick Keith

Legacy Keys Music Group LLC is a Minneapolis based creative group that offers music for your business needs. We specialize in creating music and content for small businesses and independent film makers. Whether you need a jingle for your company, voice over work, or background music for your film, LKM will create a unique concept to fit your brand. With placements all over the world, LKM has created an extensive creative portfolio.

I love to make music in an experimental way.

Acoustic folk/americana/blues singer and musician. Singing is my first love; writing, playing guitar and harmonica, collaboration, backing vocals etc., are a close second! If you can look past the novice recordings from 20+ years ago you’ll get a sense of my earlier style. 

I felt as though I was raised on the piano bench. It was my mother’s singing and playing that truly inspired me. My first performances were at church in my hometown of Wadena, Minnesota with my mother and sister. My father, who would rather be the listener, was our biggest fan, and always expressed the importance of truly ‘being’ the ‘listener’. Music truly was a beacon for our family. 

Shortly after we moved to Minneapolis my mother taught me my first two chords (I was somewhere around the age of 8), I was captivated. By age 11 I was writing songs, and by 14 I was performing with my sister. I had an early hiatus at the age of 17, after an auto accident. Throughout the years since, I’ve periodically been on stage or sang at funerals/weddings for family and friends. For me, music was always about the process, the healing, joy and energy of the music. 

I started going to more local, live music after the pandemic in 2020. I remembered how much I needed to be a part of music and the community again; which is one of my greatest joys. I eventually started handling some promotion/booking work and thanks to Don Strong (producer, musician, filmmaker), I met many other amazing artists and songwriters. 

One of which is Mpls veteran singer/songwriter, Scott Zosel. I was lucky enough to sing backups with Scott at various venues in 2022, including recording backups on his 4th studio album at Boom Island Recording, with producer and Drummer Greg Schutte.

Grateful for all of you, the music and for bringing your beauty into the world. May the music feed our souls and never stop!

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