CLEVELAND, Ohio - As a surprise to her mother on Mother's Day, Northeast Ohio native singer-songwriter Suzanne Santo released her newest song "Mama."
Santo recently embarked on her solo career with her 2017 debut album "Ruby Red." She has been one-half of the alternative country group HoneyHoney since 2006, as a singer, banjo player and violinist. HoneyHoney has produced well-known indie-folk songs "Little Toy Gun" and "Thin Line."
But before all of that, she grew up in the suburbs of Cleveland.
"Growing up in the 'burbs of Cleveland in a large Italian family meant lots of food, feuds and great times," she said. "I am proud to be a native Clevelander ... Much like my family and my mother in particular, it has seen some hard times and has risen from the rubble.
Santo's parents own the popular neighborhood restaurant Santo's Pizza & Pasta, 7565 Pearl Rd., Cleveland.
She wrote "Mama" to honor her mother, Kathy Santosuosso. The acoustic song features soft guitar plucking and violin, with the refrain: "Mama, I ain't lying. I still need you to hold me when I'm crying. Oh mama, it's like a river sometimes, crashing from my eyes."
"I wrote this song for my mom for Mother's Day, which in retrospect can really only be compared to a speck of dust in the infinite galaxy of love and appreciation that I have for her," said Santo.
Listen to the song below.