Testimonial by Grimalkin Collective Member Savan DePaul aka Ishtar Sr.
"I was introduced to Grimalkin by fellow Philly musician Don't Do It, Neil in early 2020. I was on the search for some group or collective of people who did this music thing in a dedicated, ethical, and queer manner. So the result of that chat in the café was Mabel putting me in contact with Grim. From the minute I was able to lay out my artistic vision for the album I was building for three years at that point while the collective help me along with my vision, I knew Grimalkin was gonna be a good fit. Everyone in the collective got on board with Divine Ecdysis so that it finally would leave the nest in 2021 (hell, Mabel even performed guest vocals on it!). And everyone backed up and signal-boosted the partial album funds for Project SAFE.
To share creative community with so many talented, warm, and radical QTBIPOC artists means so much to me as an artist and a person. Being surrounded by fellow Grimalkin artists + members + associated friends inspires me and aids my confidence in doing what I love. Having an inclusive/transformative focus and prioritizing artists at the margins matches my own radical principles and puts me in league with a crew full of queers who also wanna make this reactionary world a bit better. To share space with cool ass people across international lines has produced long-lasting bonds. Grimalkin is genuinely one of the healthiest spaces I've ever had the pleasure of inhabiting. For all of this I couldn't be more grateful. I can't wait for what comes to us next." -Savan DePaul
Savan DePaul aka Ishtar Sr. (they/she) is a musician based in Philadelphia. They support Grimalkin with mastering and curating releases. They also assist with creating exclusive content for supporters, with reviewing submissions and with social media occasionally. They are also a moderator on our public Discord, Minnie Mouse Club. In 2020, they released a collaborative album with Madame Data, and in May 2021, they released Divine Ecdysis with Grimalkin, which was their debut, full release as Ishtar Sr.
