Singer-songwriter Meïa Santiago captivates and inspires with her sparkling new single “Sexappeal”

Barcelona-born, New York City-based award-winning Spanish singer-songwriter Meïa Santiago draws on imagery of temptation and forbidden fruit in her seductive new single “Sexappeal,” out now.

Meïa has teamed up with renowned music producer Morris Hayes, Prince’s former music director and keyboardist, and “Sexappeal” features a stirring mix of reggae, pop and jazz arrangements. The hypnotic chorus – “Sexappeal, my sexappeal, I’ll give you something real” – evokes the enchantment of a goddess Venus casting a spell over her lover.

The accompanying music video, meanwhile, features sensual choreography and numerous references to ripe apples – the forbidden fruit – and thus ensures a lot of fun and, of course, a juicy explosion of captivating sex appeal.

“The apple appears as an attribute of Venus and symbolizes her seductive tricks,” explains Meïa. “Inspired by the enchanting melody that appears in the text, it is a tribute to the Venusian and erotic spirit of love.”

You can’t resist
This dance is so surreal
As soon as you were kissed,
Tell me how you feel.

You can’t deny it
Thoughts of me make you high
It drives you crazy
Let’s dance into the night

Following her previous single “I Can’t Stay Away From You”, which earned her an award at the Round the Globe Film and Music Festival (OR), Meïa teamed up with Clare Steffen, the festival’s director and founder. Together they created “Sexappeal” to explore the empowering side of sensuality, creating a flirtatious and liberating vibe that allows anyone to embrace their seductive side with sass and absolute confidence.

“My work has always been about femininity and sensuality,” explains Meïa. “I would like to write music about love and passion from the perspective of the feminine. I have taken many risks in my life, all of which have been reinforced by identifying as a woman-identifying artist. I have ventured into new genres such as experimental movement and acting to strengthen my work and the stories I can tell about womanhood.”

With a successful career as a music director and keyboardist for music legends such as Prince, The Time, Maceo Parker, Mazarati and Sheila E., Morris Hayes has skillfully created a musical backdrop that perfectly complements the song’s message.

“My deep admiration for his work with Prince was the catalyst for the initial connection,” recalls Meïa. “Our collaboration began with Zoom calls and email exchanges remotely. I then visited Morris’ studio to record vocals and keyboards. The final phase was about adding the musical elements, with some musicians from Spain and others from the United States, forming an incredibly talented international band for this song.”

Meïa Santiago is an award-winning singer, songwriter, composer and actress who began making music and made a name for herself in Barcelona, ​​Spain. After graduating in Jazz and Modern Music Performance from ESEM Taller de Músics in Barcelona, ​​she toured throughout Spain, building an audience and media hype with her unique blend of musical genres.
She released several records, including the EP Mülzien 25, produced by Dani Vega, guitarist of the Spanish pop-rock band Mishima, and the album Lighthouse on the Spanish record label Picap.

Meïa moved to New York City in 2018 and has continued to develop artistically, collaborating with artists from the city and performing at a variety of legendary music venues, including City Winery, DROM, Nublu, and Joe’s Pub. She has expanded her skills as a singer and composer by venturing into new genres such as experimental movement and acting to strengthen her work and the stories she tells about womanhood.