Stephanie Sant: ‘Life comes with its seasons that we must cherish, but not cling to’

Malta-born, Paris-based artist Stephanie Sant has the makings of a 21st century renaissance woman. She embraces her nascent musical project with a similar fearless curiosity as she does her other creative endeavours in cinema and performance art. Her first single, She Grows, is available on Spotify and all the other music streaming platforms.

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?

Brush my teeth!

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

To remember to breathe.

What do you never leave the house without?

In Paris: my keys, my metro card, my phone and my noise cancelling headphones. In Malta, I have a worn-out beach towel and my sunglasses.

Pick three words that describe yourself

Resilient, warm and funny.

What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?

My creations! Starting with a most intimate idea and seeing where it takes me and in what form it ends up taking, be it a short film, a piece of writing or a song.

What is your guiltiest pleasure?

Eating ice cream (I am lactose intolerant).

What is the most important lesson life has taught you?

That life comes with its seasons that we must cherish, but not cling to.

Property and cars aside, what’s the most expensive thing you’ve ever bought?

My musical equipment.

What is one thing you wish you knew when you were younger?

That I could admire others who are successful without putting myself down in the process.

Who’s your inspiration?

Anyone who embodies simplicity; who appreciates life and has a certain kind of detachment to material things.

What has been your biggest challenge?

Loving and accepting myself despite all my flaws and mistakes.

If you weren’t an artist, what would you be doing?

Something in direct contact with land and wilderness, like animal conservation.

Do you believe in God?

Yes. Not an anthropomorphised God, but rather this great, chaotic and incomprehensible source where everything emerges from and returns to.

If you could have dinner with any person, dead or alive, who would it be?

It’s a tie between Marilyn Monroe and my bużnanna Grezz. Monroe, for obvious reasons related to her extreme talent, sweet nature and ‘radical’ political views. Bużnanna Grezz to inquire about her pet pig, her eleven children and her great bear-hugs.

What’s your worst habit?

Filling my days to the brim with activities and tasks and leaving no free time.

What are you like when you’re drunk?

Clumsy.

Who would you have play you in a film?

In a more flexible space-time continuum, I would have loved Anna Magnani to play me. Otherwise, any talented and passionate unknown actor will do.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

People with a sense of superiority over others.

What music would you have played at your funeral?

I never thought of this, but Song To The Siren by This Mortal Coil would be pretty intense.

What is your most treasured material possession?

Photographs of my ancestors give an insight into life in pre-and post-war Malta.

What is your earliest memory?

I remember very vividly seeing the colour purple, and hearing muffled and incomprehensible voices of family members, as if I was underwater and did not yet understand their language.

When did you last cry, and why?

Heartbreak and the constant killing of civilians in Palestine. Both have made crying a recurring matter.

Who would you most like to meet?

The great filmmaker Werner Herzog, who I get to meet next month when he will mentor my film project in the Canary Islands.

What’s your favourite food?

Hobz biz-zejt.

Who’s your favourite person on social media right now?

Not a person, but a curated page of screen captures and rare behind the scenes photos of cinematic gems from 20th Century Hollywood, called In Search Of Pagan Hollywood.

If you could travel in time, where would you go?

It would be fun to attend the Spring Equinox in 3200 B.C at Hagar Qim.

What book are you reading right now?

The Peregrine by J.A. Baker

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

Must be nice to never have anxiety.

What’s one thing you want to do before you die?

Experience unconditional love beyond that of my immediate family.

What music are you listening to now?

Now I am not listening to any music other than my own setlist in preparation for Rock for Richmond. Thankfully I enjoy my own music.

In the shower or when you’re working out, what do you sing/listen to?

In the shower I sing all sorts of songs and search for new melodies. While working out, my boxing instructor always plays music by Eminem, which I don’t mind.