Pedro Damasceno: The man behind Saint Levant’s creative direction

Rapper and superstar Saint Levant has forged an unforgettable image; one that evinces a purposeful direction behind everything he releases. Each element of his brand denotes clear intentionality without sacrificing authenticity. The endearingly humble mastermind ensuring this vision’s cohesion is his Creative Director, Pedro Damasceno. A Columbia University graduate from Brazil, Pedro posits his work as ‘generalist’, a title with which he has a love-hate relationship. One look at his work history justifies this classification; from his DJ gigs to his brief flirtation with journalism and graphic design at Milk Studios to his photography and creative direction, he’s a creative agnostic. “My family and I immigrated from Brazil to the US, and I felt a friction that made me want to experiment with how I represent my imagination,” Pedro tells Dazed MENA.  

The creative director explains that it was his exposure to Tumblr and YouTube from an early age that had a sizable impact on his art, providing him the tools to make the leap. “My sister Melissa (still the closest source of truth) inspired me to mess with representation in my experiments, and my friend, David Ayala, constantly pushed me creatively.” 

It was photography that first gripped Pedro in instinct. Inspired by the works of Martin Parr and Daido Moriyama when he was 14, the artist was compelled to a spot behind the camera. He’s now done editorial photography for Milk Studios, Ann-Sofie Back, NASASEASONS, a host of film and music festivals—including Tribeca, Rolling Loud, and Panorama—Fool’s Gold, and a slew of culture magazines. Predominantly portraiture, his photographs rise up with action, each moment captured with a kind of Saudade, as the recalling of a past moment behind one’s eyes. 

Less deliberate was his venture into DJing (with Skrillex prompting a formative spark), and even less so his position as a ‘Creative Director.’ Pedro tells us the role’s title is a bit nebulous for his liking: “I still find it to be too loose, abstract, and funny of a term. I studied Comparative Literature in college, which, in short, was all about cross-over. This was a natural companion to combining media.” He says that it was his friend and long-time inspiration, Marek Razzouk, co-founder and managing partner of Abu Recordings, who offered him the opportunity to take up the role. “Since then, I’ve been finding inspiration in mixing media,” Pedro shares, crediting the creatives around him, with sincere humility, for driving his work. “I’m so grateful that I’m surrounded by people who are much better, much wiser, and much more talented at any particular skill than I am. I find inspiration through people around me to start anew.”

It was his comprehensive work for Palestinian-Algerian-French-Serbian musician Saint Levant that propelled Pedro into the big leagues. Responsible for the song rollout, cover art direction, styling, photography, music video direction, editing, animation, and copywriting—we could fill a paragraph with his contribution—for Saint Levant’s viral track ‘Very Few Friends,’ Pedro powered the scene and championed the artist’s rise. Mere months after the song dropped, Saint Levant and Pedro had a slot at the most seminal music festival in the world. “I always joked with my mom that I’d take her to Coachella one day—and when that actually happened—especially since I was DJing the show—it felt surreal,” Pedro reflects. “It wasn’t just about the performance, but about connecting my roots, my family, and being able to elevate voices like Saint Levant’s on a global stage.”

But what is it that precipitated such monumental success? Pedro tells us it’s his unflinching habit of “deliberate noticing” and his subsequent noting of these observations in his phone. Small moments and interactions from conversations live nascent in his notes, soon to be fleshed out and realised through a medium of his choosing. Above all, Pedro discloses that collaboration and dialogue are what fuel his process. “Community is key,” he affirms. “I think this is especially true when it comes to playing music to an audience and getting feedback instantly. Without my friends, collaborators, and the gift of meeting new perspectives, my creative process would be full of bottlenecks.” 

His work with Saint Levant and Abu Recordings catapulted him into the fecund, burgeoning creative realm in the MENA region. “It felt like home right away,” Pedro imparts, hinting that Beirut reminded him of Rio upon his first trip. “There’s something about the energy that really resonates with me. Since then, my work within the region has come from a place of learning and understanding. Local culture is at the core of everything I do with Abu and with Saint Levant—whether in music or design, we start by listening to the community.”

Pedro draws a parallel between Arab and Brazilian creatives, particularly those in the diaspora, in the challenges they face overcoming reductive stereotypes. “Brazilians (and Brazilian creatives in the diaspora) work hard to fight against this veil of ‘tropicalismo,’ an often uninformed and generalised sense of what it means to be Brazilian,” he elucidates. 

The issue, he believes, stems from attempts at portrayal that lack a genuine connection to the culture. “A few MENA creatives, artists, and musicians have told me about similar challenges, especially when it comes to representation. The only way to push against these narrow views is to tell authentic, true stories, rooted in the real experiences of people from the region,” he notes, explaining that he sees his role as an amplifier of voices. “Through my work, I hope to shine some light on these stories.”