Blake Saint David's Strength Through Adversity

Where Self-Discovery Meets Perseverance

Blake Saint David is a musician who is soft spoken, but blunt, with a vibe nothing short of punk rock. Unfiltered on social media and possessing an old soul, Blake is ready to give local pop, indie/rock and rap veterans a run for their money. With an openness to surpassing boundaries , norms and expectations, Blake’s unique and willful voice make him a standout local artist ons the rise.

At just 18 years of age, hailing from Gresham and having recently graduated high school, Blake has a mindset to music that’s completely independent.“I do everything on my own, I don’t have any help with anything.” A DIY artist in the truest sense, Blake navigates the soundscape of pop and hip-hop with little more than his own tenacity. At one point living in his car, even then Blake found himself creating some of his most memorable music. Speaking on these hardships, Blake never comes across as bitter, just hungry, eager to continue to create no matter what the situation might be.

Blake has watched family members suffer from addiction, a source of hardship in their life. But Blake’s brother has provided constant support shaping their music tastes, and pushing them to express themselves through different art mediums. Growing up together listening to Kid Cudi, Drake and Kanye West, their influence flows underneath each of Blake’s songs. A movie buff, Blake began to make films of their own, leading to the music we hear today “I used to make movies when I was like 12, and I wanted to score them so I used Fruity Loops to score my own movies, and I was like wait, I can make music, like with actual words.”

"Everything I’ve written over the past year and a half is about growing up, I don’t know anything else."

— Blake Saint David

Identifying as non-binary, Blake views themselves as one of few in a male dominated scene. When asked if they’ve faced any obstacles thus far, they shrug it off, “Money is my main obstacle, it’s a big deal. I don’t have any so it makes it hard to do what I want to do. But there’s not a ton of non-binary artists, there aren’t a lot of people like me in general.” The internet has been one place Blake can be open about who he is, giving the opportunity to help others. “People actually ask me how did I realize - and how can they figure out that they are, and I told them, and I help people now. I just went to queer safe spaces and I kept going and I was like “Cool, I think this is it” and I just realized there.” Blake hopes that in the future they can do more to help individuals like themselves.

Blake is known for their emotionally charged lyrics, delivered via self reflective ease, or singing “I like things to feel very very emotional, I like moody sounding things, strings, I like to make myself a choir.” When making music, they first make the beat based off of emotion, without any plans, and the rest follows suit. Songs like “Presentiment” feel larger than life and like they're on the cusp of a life changing transition. “I made the song recently, but it was written freshman year, that’s when I really began songwriting.” Growing pains and transitions weigh heavily throughout the music, with a universal appeal that connects Blake to a large and diverse audience. “Everything is about growing up, literally. Everything I’ve written over the past year and a half is about growing up, I don’t know anything else.”

“It’s like everything is going to be ok in the end, so relax.”

Blake’s music is created using a laptop at the foot of their bed. His tracks are often accompanied by visuals, short films which they write, and largely create on their own. One can expect to see a pairing of visuals and songs on Blake’s forthcoming project, dubbed Temporary, which they plan to drop late summer. “I got the title from my sophomore teacher. She was like 'When you grow up you’re gonna see faces and places, and they’re both temporary. The sooner you realize that, the easier life will be'. So I was like, 'yeah, she’s right.' It’s like everything is going to be ok in the end, so relax.”

Blake is innovative, inspiring and willing to take people on a journey that might be too painful for others to undergo on their own. That’s the beauty and power of their art, the chance for self reflection and discovery. A talented performer and a recent student of the guitar, Blake is ready for any chance they can get to bring their music to a live audience. “I usually sit down when I perform, because I only like to play my sad songs. I might play one happy song in the beginning, but that’s about it. But I love to perform, and I want to be able to do it as much as possible.” With consistent drops, and the promise of a new project on the horizon, only good things await Blake Saint David, and we’ll be paying close attention to the journey ahead.