Chris Santiago

Kobina pronounced Kobna, a West African name (that means born on a Tuesday) is the name of an American Recording Artist and songwriter from Harlem, New York. Kobina was born to a Ghanaian medical doctor and a Swiss music teacher. The two met in Switzerland, married in New York and moved to Ghana before Kobina was a year old. He is the eldest of five siblings who eventually were all raised in Switzerland single handedly by their mother. It is during this time in Switzerland that Kobina started playing the piano and flute, always singing, at the tender age of four. Growing up while studying ballet he was chosen for a Revlon Men's Cologne campaign in Munich, which led to him walking the runway shows in Milan and Paris for International designers such as Moschino, Valentino, Ungaro and Hugo Boss. He was chosen to be the new face for the United Colors of Benetton campaign. This campaign launched a career filled with appearances, and features in publications such as GQ, Elle, Details, Saks Catalog, New York Times. Studying acting with Susan Batson, he received opportunities to work with Spike Lee, Sidney Lumet, Oz, Guiding Light & As The World Turns, with the likes of Markus Schenkenberg. In 2007 he decided to take yet another leap by publicly performing his songs for the first time with a carefully assembled group of talented musicians, his first band, simply called Kobina. Together they developed a unique blend of beautiful acoustic sound with a seductive, lyrical content, fused with his dynamic musical deliverance. Wooing captivated audiences with a timeless sense of elegance and sensitivity, contemporary in sound, the power of his songs resonate with a strong emotional and intimate connection to the secret murmurs of the heart. One of the remarkable sensory aspects of a Kobina performance is his charisma. Listening and watching this Adonis-like man deliver his sensuous lyrics and performance in his very distinct, masculine, sexy, and tantalizing way. His seductive brand of storytelling enabled the band to become the forerunners of 2007's Battle of the Band as well as to record and win the Song/Video Contest with Rapper Common for Lincoln Spotlight with his song contribution