Musical Messiah
Chromesthesia, a type of Synesthesia, is a condition where colors pop up in one’s vision when provoked by some sounds, including music, with an estimated 1% of the population being affected by it. It has been shown that musicians are more likely to have a form of Synesthesia than non-musicians, as reported by the National Library of Medicine.
For junior Messiah Saner, who claims to have it, this condition is far from an annoyance.
“(The colors) just pop up everywhere. I just see it all, and it’s like they’re telling me which note is wrong and which note is right. So that’s basically a superpower,” Saner said.
Better known as Messiah Cartiye in his musical pursuits, Saner is a member of the Classic City Sound marching band and Cedar Theater. When not at school he enjoys making music.
“Music is life. I can really hear it everywhere I go. Most people in this school don’t even understand how much I love this music,” Saner said.
Saner began in seventh grade, starting off with old technology he found to create songs.
“I didn’t have a lot of expensive equipment, but I had this old computer my grandma gave me. She didn’t want it any more, so I made this song called “Apple.” It was just about an apple, and it was very bad,” Saner said.
Once he entered high school, Saner took the music production pathway, a series of three music technology classes. Through the classes, Saner and music technology teacher Aaron Price began to build a strong relationship.
“Mr. Price is like my idol. He’s a guitar guy. You’ll see him chilling and he’ll just play something out of nowhere. I’m like, ‘Bro, why are you not famous?’” Saner said.
Price enjoyed having Saner in his class, noting his love for music and his proficiency for making it.
“He’s very creative. He has a sense for what’s going on. He was always a little bit ahead of everybody else in the class, and he would work on stuff at home. He really cared about getting in there and making stuff, not just for the grade, but because he appreciated the time to work on his music,” Price said.
Price notes his unique style and tone as good qualities of Saner’s music.
“They’re all really cool. He makes music that’s like hip hop music, but is very Motown Soul inspired, where there’s horns and things like that. I really like most of his music. It’s all really upbeat and kind of cheerful,” Price said.
Price has helped Saner create and distribute his music, including making physical copies of his songs.
“He plays me stuff all the time. I even made some CDs for him. I have a CD burner, and he sent me six or seven songs, I burned them on the CDs, and he gave them out to friends,” Price said.
Saner has performed at school multiple times, including during fine arts showcases. Librarian Kerry Hogan, who hosted a separate performance for Saner in the library, says that he keeps crowds engaged.
“He is dynamic. He really brings his audience in. I recall during Black History Month last year, when he was performing he did a great job of bringing the entire audience into his performance. People were clapping and dancing and really just enjoying the show in general,” Hogan said.
One thing Saner likes about performing is the relatability that people can have with the music he creates.
“I think it’s cool that people can relate to you. People can say things like, ‘Oh, I get it. I go through this every day,’” Saner said.
Saner also participates in Cedar’s drama program and is a member of the Chicken Wing Theater club. He created mock-up music for Cedar’s fall performance of “Antigone.”, although the songs went unused due to time constraints. Saner said this experience taught him some important lessons.
“Sometimes you have to make music cinematic and make it feel like something. Every movie has a story to tell. So you have to make a story to tell with the music,” Saner said.
Outside of school, Saner shares those stories and his music with friends.
“I think some of them believe in me, because I don’t want my friends to tell me anything. If they were to tell me to pick another profession, I’ll do it. But the ones that believe in me, they think I can do it, because I’m showing them something they’ve never heard before,” Saner said.
Multiple influences inspired Saner to begin making music, such as alternative rap artists like Tyler the Creator and hip-hop groups like A Tribe Called Quest.
“(Tyler) is the most creative person in the world of music, because he’s an innovator. A Tribe Called Quest inspired me to make a lot of music. They have an abstract feeling when you listen to them. Even Kanye (West), although he does a lot of stupid stuff, he’s actually good at music. There’s no denying that,” Saner said.
Saner’s new album, GoodVibes, was rereleased on Oct. 31, and is available on Spotify, Apple Music and Soundcloud.
