Sayge – Toxic

Q&A By: Lucky Smith

Tell us about your single, “Toxic” and the meaning behind it.
Toxic is about a girl I was very into that I screwed up with. My relationship before that one was very toxic and I remember feeling amazing after it ended. When I noticed my ex and I were going in that direction (because of me), it hurt like hell but I let her go. I had to work on my demons, get in the ring with them and figure out what the hell was going on. I wrote Toxic a few weeks later. I missed her even though I knew it was “wrong”, per se. If I had tried to get her back, it would have gotten toxic and after experiencing that once with the girl before, I never wanted to go through that again. The record I just released, Fade Away is kind of a follow up. It is missing the person after the relationship but still having to let them go.

What is your idea of a perfect mate? 
Damn. That is tough. Honestly, I don’t know yet. She has to be cool, loyal, know how to dress, a little wild….I don’t know, haha!

Everyone’s journey in life is different and we all have our own perception of “rock bottom”. What is yours?
Mine was getting REALLY drunk and calling my toxic ex to tell her off while I was with that other girl. I was an idiot and I don’t suggest doing that. But, after that night, everything changed. My life turned around, I started working out every day and started really honing in on my music and team as a brand. It was a blessing. The next day was amazing. It didn’t feel like any sort of hangover. It felt like a fresh start, finally.

The Internet/social media has been a gift and a curse. In your opinion, in what way has it had an affect on relationships and our self-esteem as a whole? 
Man, I feel like we have crazy standards because of social media. People wanting to be a certain kind of couple or look like a famous celebrity couple instead of just being themselves and finding their own journey in the relationship. It’s crazy. Social media can be toxic. Your partner is worrying about who you’re talking to or looking at and a lot of people don’t have the communication skills to bring it up and talk about it. It’s crazy. Social media is a gift and a curse. Communication is key.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way of life for everyone. How are you coping with it all?
By staying in, helping my loved ones any way that I can and SANITIZING. Everyone, please sanitize and stay in. This stuff ain’t a joke.  My love and prayers go out to anyone who is suffering with it or who has loved ones who are suffering.

Elaborate on the following Tweets:

a.  Secret society.
It feels like a lot of life is some sort of secret society. For this, I was kind of referencing my team. My guys do amazing work and lots of stuff behind the scenes that many don’t see. Just wait till the videos drop!

b.  New york feels haunted.
It’s crazy! It is empty but it is not. It is somber. So many people are losing their lives or getting sick because of COVID-19. Please, everyone wash your hands.

c.  Dale
¡dale is Spanish for “go ahead” but we use it for everything. It is slang at this point, I guess. It can also mean, “goodbye” or like 100 other things. Context is key. 

Name 5 things you plan to do when this quarantine is over?
Press shoot, see my homies and my team, have a whiskey and cigar night in Toronto with my team and my cousins, shoot a video, go salsa dancing.

Explain your problem with skits on albums. 
I really like listening to full bodies of work all the way through and skits throw off the experience for me. Maybe because every time I’m listening to music, I’m also doing something else. To me, save it for a short film or something on the album. But, that’s just personal opinion, no shade.

What is life like for your home (Venezuela) at the moment? 
Authoritarianism by an idiot, Political corruption and shortages of food and medicine. This is a product of years of economic mismanagement and corruption. It is a beautiful country, yet the system is so ugly. In the words of Hendrix, “Once the power of love overcomes the love of power, that’s when things will change.”

Any last words?
Stay safe, wash your hands and stream Fade Away.

Follow Sayge on Instagram @saygenx.

Photo By: Mollie Pie