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Santigold explains why she shrink-wrapped herself for her latest album cover

Predictable is not a word used to describe the musician known as Santigold. With a style as eye-catching and memorable as the runways of New York's Fashion Week, the indie artist (born Santi White) isn't afraid to turn heads. Modern and progressive, Santigold's cross-genre music has an attitude all its own with lyrics that question today's pop culture and the expectations that come with it.

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The Philadelphia-born artist's newest record, 99 cents, approaches these issues with a playful and slightly sarcastic tone that's also thought-provoking. The first single, "Can't Get Enough of Myself," targets the egotistical industry in a light-hearted, satirical fashion: "All I wanna do is what I do well/ain't a gambler but honey I'd put money on myself/I can't get enough of myself."

Santigold also used the latest album's cover image to express her current state of mind.

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"I'm talking a lot about the experience of being an artist right now and feeling like a product on the record -- constantly needing to sell, sell, sell yourself," she said in a recent phone interview. "Even though it's kind of a critique, there's a lot of satire and upbeat playfulness to it.

"For the cover, I literally climbed into a bag and shrink-wrapped myself and slapped a 99 cents price tag on it as the title."

Santigold's album 99 cents is out now.
Santigold's album 99 cents is out now.

She added a little bit of everything to the plastic bag, from a sewing kit to a gold pair of Crocs, in part to represent herself and to also show how cheap the world can be, especially the world of streaming. Although she isn't against streaming music, Santigold says it's exploiting today's musicians.

"I think streaming is a flawed system," she said. "The convenience is great and I understand why people love it, but there's a problem when anybody who's creating a product is forced to give it away for free and they're not being compensated for their work. It makes it really difficult to be a musician right now.

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"There's so much out at the same time and because people aren't paying for it, they don't value it as much. You spend so much time making a lot of content because you have to. I think the quality of music is suffering from that."

Santigold has been in the industry long before there were streaming services; she began blurring the genre lines in 2008 with a self-titled release. The breakout record brought the usually disconnected worlds of dub, punk, electronic and new wave together, and built a loyal following in the industry and with fans.

She's worked with the likes of the Beastie Boys, Jay-Z and Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. She says she loves collaborating with different artists because it pushes her and creates something special.

Also regarded for her striking ensembles, Santigold expresses herself through fashion.

"Like my music style, it's like a collage — all different influences and aesthetics put together in a way that's very specific to who I am," she said. "I love bold fashion. I like to piece it altogether in an unexpected way, which is the same way I approach making music."

Brenna Rushing is a Dallas freelance writer.