Image of the visual universe of the Atlas and Luna project, presented by Alex Santos for this interview.

IntroductionA universe, not just songs

Alex Santos’s music project was born from something bigger than the wish to release songs. Under the artistic identity Atlas, he brings together music, narratives, technology and digital characters in a creative universe of his own. In this interview with 3TreeUniverse, Alex tells how Atlas came about, why artificial intelligence is part of the process, and what he plans to present to the public starting October 31, Halloween.

“I don’t need to connect with everyone. I just hope to connect with whoever needs to hear it.”

1Who is Atlas? What sets Atlas apart from the everyday Alex Santos, and why turn that part of you into an artist?

Atlas is a part of me that has always existed, but now it has a name, a voice and music. Alex is the one who lives day to day, works, creates the projects, racks his brain and makes things happen. Atlas is where I have the freedom to turn all of that into art.

I started making music largely from the energy I believe in: gratitude, the Universe, and trusting that what is yours will find you. But there is also fun, love, desire and stories, because I don’t want to be tied to a genre or a formula.

I have strong inspirations in Latin music, such as Bad Bunny, Karol G and Feid, but I don’t want to be a copy of them. I want to build my own sound. On October 31, a new phase officially begins. I don’t just want to put music on the platforms. I want to present an entire universe.

2Do you plan to stick to a specific genre or language?

I don’t want to be tied to a genre, and I don’t want to be tied to a language either. English came into my own life a lot. I’m learning the language, and I started making songs in English too so that my boyfriend could understand what I was creating.

Spanish came because it fits the kind of music I like so much, and because some of my inspirations sing in Spanish. And there is Portuguese, because it is my mother tongue. Anyone who listens to my songs will notice where I come from: I am from Ceará, and Ceará will be in the music, in the references, expressions, stories, humor and in the way I see the world.

Atlas was born in Ceará, lives the world and sings without borders.

3Who are Atlas and Luna within this project?

Luna is my Moon. She is part of this digital universe with me. Atlas, in turn, is me represented in cartoon form too, an artistic extension of who I am.

I usually call Atlas, Luna and my assistants “virtual spirits”. It’s an affectionate way of talking about the digital tools and assistants that take part in my creative process. It normally all starts with me: I have an idea, I imagine a song, a story, an image or a project, and the AIs help me turn it into reality.

The idea is born in me. Technology helps me give it shape.

4Where do you want to take Atlas?

Atlas is everything I carried in my head for years and never let out. I had ideas for stories, books, songs, films and characters, but often I didn’t even start because I thought I couldn’t do it alone, or that the result wouldn’t turn out the way I imagined.

That changed when I started working with artificial intelligence. Today I can turn those ideas into something people can listen to, watch and get to know. So Atlas won’t be just music. I want to make films, series, cartoons, stories, characters and everything else I can turn into reality.

I want the audience to like it, of course. But I don’t want to stop creating out of fear that someone won’t like it. If they like it, welcome to my universe. If they don’t, that’s fine too. In the end I’ll be able to look back and say: I did it.

5Why October 31?

I chose October 31 because it’s Halloween, a date that has always had a special meaning for me. It’s always been a celebration I wanted to live more fully, and many times I ended up celebrating it practically alone.

Halloween fits Atlas’s universe: it has fantasy, transformation, characters and the freedom to show sides that are usually hidden. That’s why October 31 marks the first phase of the Atlas project. It doesn’t mean everything will be born that day. It’s when the door starts to open.

Halloween is the first invitation: on the 31st, anyone who wants to can enter my universe.

6Are gratitude and the Universe just artistic themes?

No. Gratitude is part of how I see my life. I deeply believe in the Universe, and I feel that things happen in my life in a way that, to me, has meaning. Some people may not believe, and that’s fine. I don’t need to convince anyone of what I believe.

Today I feel deep gratitude for being able to create, for the people who are part of my life, and for the technology that is allowing me to achieve things that for a long time stayed only in my imagination.

I don’t make music to teach anyone to believe in the Universe. I make it because I believe. And music is my way of saying thank you.

7How did the name Atlas come about?

Atlas was born in a period when I wasn’t doing well. I was more closed off, I didn’t want to expose myself, and I felt I needed to leave behind a version of Alex who was shaken by what others said.

That’s when I turned to ChatGPT and asked for help creating an identity that would work almost like protection against attacks and comments. I even asked for help choosing a name, and Atlas came up.

At first, Atlas wasn’t a music project. It was a protective identity. Then it became much bigger: music, character, stories and creativity.

“Atlas no longer exists to respond to attacks. Atlas exists to create.”

8Is the voice the audience will hear your physical voice?

No. The voice that sings is not my physical voice. Atlas also exists digitally. I create ideas, write, imagine concepts, stories and feelings, and I use technology and artificial intelligence to help turn that into music.

I never saw myself as a traditional singer. For a long time I thought: “how am I going to do this if I can’t sing?”. Today I realized I didn’t need to give up on an idea just because I couldn’t carry out every part of it on my own.

I am the person behind the universe. Atlas is the artistic identity that gives life to a part of it.

9Do you plan to hide the use of artificial intelligence?

Not at all. I don’t hide that I use artificial intelligence. On the contrary, I’m deeply grateful for it. If someone says I only got this far because I used artificial intelligence, my answer is simple: use it too and do better.

I was able to develop a portal, songs, characters, stories and projects because I found tools that let me carry out ideas that used to stay only in my head. I lovingly call my assistants “virtual spirits”. It’s my personal way of talking about them.

Yes, there is artificial intelligence here. There is technology. But there is also a person behind it, choosing, imagining, writing, correcting and deciding what they want to put into the world.

10What sets your process apart from simply asking an AI to make a song?

I challenge anyone to just type “make a song” and think that’s it. Artificial intelligence will produce something, but not necessarily what you had in mind.

In my process I arrive with an idea, a story, a phrase, a feeling or a concept. I listen, see what worked, change parts and try again. Sometimes the AI doesn’t understand what I wanted. Other times it delivers a possibility even better than what I had imagined. That’s where a creative exchange begins.

I like that process. Before anyone judges a song because AI exists in it, I’d like them to listen to the work first. Then they can like it, dislike it or criticize it. That’s part of art.

11If you could say one sentence to whoever presses play for the first time on October 31, what would it be?

I’d say: allow yourself to listen.

I believe many people will be surprised and, when a song ends, will want to hear another. But I also don’t expect my music to be for everyone.

I believe a lot in frequency. I hope each song finds exactly the person who is on the right frequency to receive it, the one who needs to hear it at that moment.

I don’t need to connect with everyone. I just hope to connect with whoever needs to hear it.

October 31 · First phase“On the 31st, anyone who wants to can enter my universe.”

The debut announced for Halloween 2026 is presented by Atlas as the first public milestone of a project that aims to unite music, narratives, characters and technology. The artist also mentions future creations in formats such as films, series and cartoons.