We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lamont Saint Watson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Lamont, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?
I landed my first paid gig as a singer during my sophomore year as an undergrad. The opportunity came through my pianist at the time, Carol. Carol had the most radiant crown of white hair, and she was an admirer of my voice. Sometimes it seemed she believed in my talent more than I did. Looking back, I realize her enthusiasm was a balm to my perpetual self-doubt, which was rooted in a pursuit of perfection.
At the time, I was working on music for my senior recital, meticulously honing a repertoire that spanned the works of Fauré, Mozart, and a few beautiful spiritual arrangements by Moses Hogan and Hall Johnson. This gig, I realized, would be the perfect opportunity to put all my preparation to the test. I had months of voice lessons, vocal coaching, and diction classes. And I had been listening to opera singers like Fritz Wunderlich, Luciano Pavarotti, Kathleen Battle, and Jessye Norman nonstop. I had Norman’s electrifying rendition of “Ride On, King Jesus” at Carnegie Hall on repeat!
The day of the concert I woke up early because I didn’t want to leave anything to chance. I had a knack for being tardy, so if Murphy’s Law was lurking, I wasn’t giving him any opportunity to mess this up for me. Even still, as I arrived at the venue; a modest and intimate setting, the nerves kicked in like they always did. But this time I came to a realization. Being afraid would not make the concert go away, so I might as well choose to be courageous. And use those nerves to propel me onto the stage.
I opened with “Après un rêve” by Fauré and moved nicely through the program. But by the time I reached “Ride On, King Jesus”, I could feel the energy in the room shift as if somehow just now, the spotlight was on me (if that makes sense). This was my chance to have my “Jessye Norman” moment and return to a style of music that was organic to me. Channeling Norman’s fire as best I could I bellowed “RIDE ON KING JESUS! NO MAN CAN A HINDER ME”! When the final note rang out, the applause was all the affirmation I needed. The concert was not only a success, I tore the roof off that place!
Still buzzing from the experience, I returned to campus to share the news with my choral director. I also wanted to show off my first paycheck ($250), proof that I was officially a professional!
When I arrived at the music department, I found my choral director and Charles the theater director, chatting. I recounted my performance and showed them how much money I made. Charles, curious, asked, “Where was the concert?”.
I replied with pride “At the old folks home!”.
Silence hung in the air. Then Charles nearly spit out his coffee as the room erupted in laughter! Hearing myself say it out loud I couldn’t help but laugh too. My grand debut as a professional singer took place at a retirement home. But it didn’t matter. To me, that concert was just as meaningful as a concert at Carnegie Hall. This was the first step in a journey I’d dreamt of for years. A step that many singers I admired took. And even though I didn’t put it on my resume, the memory of that experience lives in my head rent-free!
The experience taught me that the voice I’d doubted for so long could move people if only I got out of my way.
Lamont, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
In 2009, I moved to New York City with a single goal: to earn a dual degree in vocal performance and vocal pedagogy from NYU. Teaching voice had always come naturally to me, and singing challenged me. And if I wanted to be an actor, New York was the place to be! Attending a prestigious institution like NYU wasn’t just a choice, NYU was the only graduate program I applied to that year.
When I walked across the stage to receive my dual master’s degree in 2012, the nation was still reeling from the effects of the recession. Jobs in the arts were scarce, and I had to make a tough decision. I shifted my focus to corporate America, carving out a career far removed from the music theatres and recital halls.
Even with the demands of corporate life, I still find time to see the occasional opera, support my friends and their projects, and stay connected to my creative roots. I have used my creativity to build a substantial social media presence with acting and spoof reels. I perform in community theaters across the Tri-State area for charity, sing professionally in church choirs across the city, and landed a few acting roles in independent film and TV projects.
2024 has been a difficult year for me due to the loss of my godfather and mentor, Mr. Gary Travis, and the unexpected loss of my younger brother, Eric. They were both dream catchers. The kind of people who could dream up an idea, and somehow make it materialize. And that’s what I’ll miss most about them. They were not perfect, but they were good.
Death changes people and relationships, and I’m learning not to take that personally. Grief doesn’t come with a handbook, but their legacies have left me the blueprint on how to be a dream catcher!
Their legacies have inspired me to finally catch my dream of launching my Plant-Based skincare line “SAINT WATSON”. I’ve been studying soap and body butter making in New York since 2012. And I want to bring skincare back to the basics by using herbs, plant oils, and plant butters to create restorative skincare recipes. It’s a dream that’s been living in my head since my teens. And to see this dream materialize at this point in my life is incredibly humbling and meaningful.
New York has taught me an invaluable lesson: the arts aren’t confined to a single stage, career, or degree. The arts live in the choices we make to keep them alive in our lives, no matter where our paths may lead.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
When I started posting reels on social media, I had a modest following of around 2,000. My goal wasn’t fame or virality, I was covering from foot surgery and I needed a creative outlet while confined to my small one-bedroom apartment. Most of my earlier reels took place in my bed. I also used social media as a tool to get comfortable being on camera. The camera and I have a love/hate relationship. I see myself one way, and she sometimes disagrees with me.
I followed trends that connected with me and added my perspective to make the content my own. Then, after a year of throwing spaghetti at the wall, one of my reels stuck! Gaining over 12M views in a few weeks.
Social media created a pathway to starting my own social media contractor business, where I create ads and social media assets for startups and brands. So far my content has brought in over $500k in gross revenue for startups in New York. Currently, I am a brand ambassador for an anti-cavity brand, CariFree. A brand that was recommended to me by my dentist after getting two cavities in one year. The crazy part is, none of this was part of the plan!
Here’s my take: there’s no foolproof formula for social media “success”. Algorithms evolve constantly and like a game, it is up to the users to figure out how to solve the “going viral” puzzle. My advice? Trust your creativity. Push past the “cringe”. Post as often or as little as you like. Stop judging yourself. And don’t take likes or views personally. Success isn’t all about going viral—it’s about showing up as yourself even when it feels like no one agrees with you.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Growing up, I believed if you wanted something bad enough, it would fall into your lap. Like most artists, I imagined being “discovered” one day, maybe while walking down the street, and my life transforming forever.
Then I moved to New York City where submitting headshots and resumes to talent agencies is considered soliciting (which is prohibited). Here, if you’re serious about breaking in you need to “know someone who knows someone”, get seen by a talent agent in a showcase or comedy show, get a referral to a talent agent, and take classes and workshops taught by casting directors. I guess that’s what makes living in New York so exciting. The possibility of realizing your dreams as long as you stay ready, keep hustling, be a little delusional, and have faith at least the size of a mustard seed.
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