Who am I?

My name is James Fantom.

I am a musician, producer, and educator on Saint Helena Island, which has been my home since 2016. I have a Saint Helenian mother and an English father. I have always had connections to the island, and often visited throughout my childhood. When I moved back here in 2016, I developed a fascination withthe island’s rich musical culture. I was struck with the diversity and pervasiveness of music amongst the island’s people, and wanted to somehow preserve and champion it.

For a number of years I have contemplated ways in which to tell this story to the world, resulting in Facebook pages and a YouTube channel called Fantom Island Music. In 2023 and 2024 I uploaded a number of videos of Saints—as the islanders call themselves—making music, filmed by myself and collaborators. Prior to 2023 it would have been nearly impossible due to internet speeds. The website aims to be an interactive documentary of sorts, and in a way, it is its own answer to the question.

To go into the true nuances and depth of the story would take years of dedicated work. For The Love of Music (2007) by Emma-Jane Yon, this project’s spiritual predecessor, took two years of research and writing. Suitably, A website format allows the work to be updated and expanded as the story develops. Although I feel disappointed that I am unable to go into the depth that I believe the story demands, I have tried to expose the story’s core narrative.

I have presented this site in two parts; The Story, and The Music Itself. The Story is a four part narrative that uncovers what it is that makes Saint Helenian music making unique, and how it is responding to greater internet connectivity. The Music Itself is a space for documentation and presentation of musical performances on Saint Helena, past and present. Where I can, I will provide information on the recordings presented there.

For years I have had conversations with people discussing what “Saint Music” is. A lot of the time, the conclusion was “there isn’t one, it’s just copying rock and country music”. However, when you consider performances intentions, creative limitations and freedoms, and audience requirements, Saint Helena’s music certainly has a unique and tangible identity. For years I have been searching for the “Jamestown Sound”. With this site, I believe I have found it.