Daily Inspiration: Meet Savannah Pope

Today we’d like to introduce you to Savannah Pope.

Hi Savannah, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I sort of stumbled into it. I didn’t set out to pursue music professionally – I just wrote these strange, cerebral little songs for myself, I guess as a way to process the world and my place in it. Originally, I was actually studying painting. I spent about a year and a half in art school before dropping out and returning to L.A., adrift with my tail between my legs.

One night, a friend dragged me to an open mic – probably just trying to get me out of my room for the first time in a week. I didn’t want to go, but I tagged along begrudgingly. It ended up being one of those freeform, anything-goes nights where people take turns performing, no rules to speak of. As the evening went on, I felt this strange heat growing in my gut – a kind of low, electric urgency I couldn’t ignore.

So yeah – I borrowed a guitar from someone, walked up, and played one of my private little songs – something I’d never intended for anyone else to hear. The crowd went berserk. Something shifted into place in that moment, the notion that I could paint with my voice and experience my art in 3D with other people, see it shift into something else. I’ve been performing ever since.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Smooth? Not even remotely. I’m a chaos demon. I didn’t take the straight road – I pivoted through genres, setbacks, and reinventions… but somehow I think that’s what gives my work its voice.

I started writing folk songs, but was ultimately drawn to the spectacle and emotion of art rock, so I formed bands. One of them, SpaceCream, began to gain real momentum – until it splintered apart. Shortly after that, I was hit by a car and couldn’t walk for months. It was a brutal, brutal time. I spent the majority of that year indoors, licking my wounds and building an animated music video from scratch – something totally out-there – and recorded whenever I could. That time alone forced me to confront the fact that I’d always been steering the ship creatively. So, I decided to stop hiding behind a band name and start releasing music as myself. I finished my debut solo album, put out that video, and began building some buzz.

Then came the pandemic. Like a lot of artists, I had to figure out how to build community through a screen. Livestreams, digital rituals, confession sessions – anything to hold onto that human connection. But physical isolation hit hard. My mental health tanked, and in the middle of all that, a wonderful friend killed himself. That loss lit a fire under me – it became the spark behind my second record, Pandemonium. I wrote it as a way to confront the stigma around mental illness and transform something unspeakable into something that might speak to others. I crowdfunded the album with the community I’d been building and made it a reality with Sean Beavan. My first time working with a big producer! A concept album! Pandemonium came out late last year, and I sold out the release party. The whole process was scrappy and raw, but it became the catalyst for building a great team!. For the first time in my career, I now have something of a Savannah Pope machine to worth with!

So no, my path hasn’t been linear or easy. But every derailment has become raw material. The work – and any success that’s come from it – has ultimately been shaped by the friction.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a singer, a songwriter, a producer, a director, a video artist, a costumer, a graphic artist, and a general weaver of magical realism. I make worlds to fully surround anyone who dares step inside.

I’m known for my voice. It’s huge. And my hair. Also large.

Glasses too. They’re pointy.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
Wow…truly an endless list. I honestly can’t begin to answer this question fully without forgetting someone or something important – so let me start with an apology to all the people and forces I’m bound to leave out. I’ve been inspired by so much, and I’ve been incredibly lucky to collaborate with some wildly talented, generous souls.

First and foremost, I owe a huge debt to my partner and my mom. They’ve both stood by me through every chaotic twist – patiently weathering my neuroses, championing my artistic growth, and believing in me without hesitation.

I’m deeply grateful to all the musicians and producers I’ve worked with over the years. Each one has taught me something about sound or stamina. I feel truly lucky to have learned so much about the art of capturing raw, honest emotion in the studio from producer Sean Beavan – that was a masterclass in creating without compromise.

And then there’s the visual world of what I do – just as vital to the storytelling. I’m endlessly thankful for my dear friend Lexi Quolas-Miller, who does much of my hair and makeup and photography, but beyond that is truly a creative co-conspirator. We’ve built wild costumes, absurd props, and dreamlike visuals together – all DIY and powered by obsession. The brilliant Lauren Berman, a costuming and prop genius, has brought so many of my visions to life with such wit and precision. Earlier in my journey, I had the same kind of alchemical collaboration with Kore Black, who helped shape a lot of those visuals.

On the video front, I’ve learned a great deal about being a director and wearing every possible hat on set with the help of amazing collaborators like cinematographer Lucky Atkare, animators Jeremy Mowery and Maayan Israel, and my often co-director Annette Bedrossian.

I’ve been fortunate to cross paths with other mad scientists who believe in building strange, beautiful things just because they matter. I don’t take that lightly.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://app.getpinpoint.io/iamsavannahpope
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamsavannahpope/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamsavannahpope/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SavannahPope
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@iamsavannahpope

Image Credits
Lexi Quolas-Miller
Lucky Atkare
Tears of Venus