Feature: St. Panther Discusses Empathetic Leadership, Advocating When Necessary, and Creating the Neo-Soulful Sound of ‘Strange World’ - Atwood Magazine

      St. Panther transforms empathy into action with their soulful and captivating ‘Strange World’ EP, a remarkable and purposeful record featuring six tracks that cut through apathy, awaken the heart, affirm our shared humanity, and draw us closer to ourselves and to each other. In a heartfelt discussion covering activism, artistic growth, trans visibility, and the subtle radicalism of emotions in a distracted society, Dani Bojorges-Giraldo shares the vision, heart, and lived experience behind one of the year's most vital and impactful releases.

      Stream: ‘Strange World’ – St. Panther

      "I want this strange world and these difficult times to change. And change always begins within oneself."

      * * *

      Dani Bojorges-Giraldo of St. Panther created their recent EP with a steady, unwavering mission: to write music that fosters empathy and reconnects people; to transform their personal experiences— their humanity— into a means of connection, clarity, and community care; and to challenge emotional numbness with truth, feeling, and heart. Strange World radiates warmth and serves as a guiding light, pushing against apathy and instead emphasizing presence, accountability, and hope. Over its 16-minute journey, the record serves as both a reflection and an offering—an invitation to pause, feel, and envision a future shaped by genuine connection and compassion. It reminds us that both personal and collective transformation commences with the bravery to feel.

      Strange World EP – St. Panther

      The world of St. Panther mirrors the world of Dani Bojorges-Giraldo—a Mexican/Colombian artist, producer, singer, rapper, and multi-instrumentalist based in East Los Angeles, whose music seamlessly blends soul, R&B, jazz, hip-hop, and alt-pop while maintaining a distinct voice. Set for release on November 7th, Strange World marks their first project with the art-focused label drink sum wtr, and their first full-length offering since 2020’s acclaimed EP These Days—a five-year period in which they developed their craft, recorded, and, in their words, “became part of my village,” attentively listening to their community's needs and the burdens everyone carries. This project signifies both a return and a renewal, reigniting the early spark of St. Panther while expanding to encompass all they've learned about themselves and the world during that time. Furthermore, it coincides with yet another “critical moment in our time,” aligning their significant releases with the world's pressing needs.

      This evolution traces back even further than their breakthrough EP. Before adopting the St. Panther name, Bojorges-Giraldo released music under various aliases—Quiet Girl, Dan Universe—treating their catalog like a dynamic crate of sounds, where each alias revealed a different facet of their artistic identity. St. Panther became the space for their most intentional and present work, where instinctivity, purpose, and identity could finally align.

      This synthesis is what defines this new era. “I think my relationship with my gift is now so vivid,” they reflect, describing Strange World as the moment where intention meets instinct. Previously, they were encouraged to keep progressing “further,” with little direction on what “further” truly meant; now, the path is self-defined and well-grounded. Throughout this project, St. Panther is no longer merely pursuing opportunity—they are thoughtfully choosing their journey, focusing on the humble yet impactful goal of delivering music to those who need it “in a timely way,” in a world craving both comfort and brave disruption.

      A significant part of this clarity stems from a broadened sense of community—not only locally, but globally—as they've observed listeners from Japan, Russia, Brazil, and beyond connect with their music. What began in their apartment studio has now transcended borders, fostering unexpected connections among individuals who may never meet yet find common ground through sound.

      St. Panther 'Strange World' © 2025

      Empathy serves as the common thread binding everything together.

      Listeners have often told them their music feels familiar, as if it reaches into emotions they've already been capable of feeling, which they recognized over time as empathy—the challenging yet essential process of holding space for multiple truths simultaneously. With Strange World, St. Panther fully embraces this role. They express a desire for these tracks to offer listeners “a moment of pause, of connecting with oneself,” providing a meditative experience that facilitates emotional reflection—not as a way of escaping the world but as a means to re-engage with it more awake, open, and accountable to those around us.

      This philosophy extends to their view of activism: a combination of accountability and what one activist termed “radical compassion”—the willingness to understand even those whose beliefs may conflict sharply with one’s own. St. Panther has witnessed unlikely discussions foster empathy, allowing privileged individuals to inch closer to understanding through music's bridge. This belief—that dialogue and humanity still hold significance—runs quietly yet powerfully beneath the EP