Meïa and shared spaces: awards nights, classrooms and bridges between artists
Some artists are defined by their records and others by the places they help bring to life. Catalan singer-songwriter Meïa Santiago is both. During eight years in New York, her music was also a way of creating shared spaces, and that is how Films Infest (New York City) remembers her in the tribute it has just published now that she has moved to London.
Awards nights among friends
The festival’s awards galas were held in Manhattan, and for four years Meïa hosted the ceremonies and sang at each one with pianist and composer Hayley Lam. Filmmakers from many countries found in those evenings something closer to a concert among friends than a formal ceremony.
The festival highlights something about her that goes beyond the stage:
“She is also a person of great human values: generous with other artists, close to every filmmaker who walked into our ceremonies, and always ready to help.”
Classrooms, venues and stages
The community she built in New York was not limited to the galas. She taught music, arts and Spanish in the city’s public schools, and took her songs to venues such as City Winery, Joe’s Pub, Rockwood Music Hall, DROM and Nublu. In 2024 she was selected for Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater, one of the most symbolic stages in Harlem. She also composed the music for the play Fantastic Mr. S.
Her musical journey includes collaborations with Morris Hayes, Prince’s keyboardist and musical director, who produced her singles I Can’t Stay Away From You, Sexappeal and Love Is a Rose. Sexappeal was named Pop Song of the Year at the LDM Music Awards in 2025.
Building bridges from London
The move to London does not break that thread. Meïa remains part of the festival team and, from her new city, she will work to create links between artists and festivals on both sides of the Atlantic. Her new chapter begins with the EP Foreigner and a concert on Sunday, January 10, 2027 at The Dublin Castle, a historic venue in Camden: another place that will very likely end up being a little bit shared, too.
