Sam Sky
I’ve been loving Sam Sky’s latest releases, I’m super excited to feature him for this new project. It is actually my first interview with him (he did write an open letter about the music industry though) so I’m even more excited to share his story with everyone. Sam Sky’s new project ZERO fuses elements of alternative and rock music. It’s edgy, poignant, empowering and overall inspiring. ZERO also has an incredible artwork. I love this project and the main topic of this EP: chase your dreams while fighting your demons. I can totally relate to that. So thank you Sam for making this EP and congrats on the release !
ZERO is now available worldwide.
Hi Sam, how are you? Could you please introduce yourself? What's your story?
Ayyyyyyyyyy - I'm great, and I hope you are as well! I think I've told you this before, but I appreciate you and your brand very much. You were one of the first to review my music, and I'll always be grateful for that! ANYWAYSSS I'm Sam Sky. I'm sure I could go on and on about my story, but I'll sum it all up for ya'll - Former rocker gone solo artist, who brings those rock influences heavily into the mix, combining them with my pop sensibilities. For every success I've had, I've had a million more failures, yet after a decade of chasing my dreams I've never been more confident that I can make them a reality.
My mantra, find what you love and let it kill you - I do my very best to live up to that.
You've just released your new EP ZERO - how does it feel like to release this project?
Honestly, it feels incredible. Every step of the way was met with adversity, something standing in my way trying to keep me from getting this project completed - but true to how I do, I bled to make this a reality. I couldn't be happier with the finished product, and also true to form, I am already on to the next one working on my music for the next year!
When did you start working on this EP? Could you describe the songwriting/production process for this project? Who helped you create it?
Crazy enough, some of these songs had been in the works for about 3 to 5 years - at one point during the creative process in the studio we built the entire song around my vocals because I already had almost the entire song written in my head. My right hand man in all the music I've released over the past year, almost 2 years now, is my good friend Roless. Anything from production, co-writing, mixing and mastering - you name it, he's the homie. Very rarely do you get the chance to meet someone so like minded, ethical, driven, and committed as Roless. In this industry of half-assing, unreliable, and disingenuous people running rampant - When you find someone like that, you hold on to them and treat them better than you treat yourself.
What different topics are you talking about on this EP?
With this project, I really wanted to paint the picture of the dichotomy of what it feels like to chase your dreams while fighting your demons. The polorizing expression between the confident, positive, gritty, will fuck you up if you get in my way confident person you see on the outside - Versus the darkness, nihilism, pain, doubt, regret, self loathing and even at times, suicidal thoughts that I am battling on the inside.
Both sides speaking truth in who I am, in an attempt to create a 360 degree view of my whole, and at the same time, broken self.
Was there any challenge when making this EP?
I think the ultimate challenge is always time, with the added twist of GNARLY AF depression on my end. Back to the time piece though - We both had everything from juggling having a family to support, being emotionally available to them, and working 50 to 60 hour weeks - In lieu of that, we had to be extremely focused on that time management piece. I flew out to Roless, and we laid the whole project down in essentially 3 days of back to back 12 to 14 hour sessions.
Any favorite memory from the making of this EP?
Sitting there listening to the songs after we had finished recording that had been looming in my head for years at a time, exactly as I envisioned them for all this time. Satisfaction lvl 90000.
What made you want to name your EP ZERO?
Fun fact, I was in a Rise/Velocity Records band called I Am King, and our debut record was called "ONEHUNDRED." It's no secret that rock and roll is entwined with my soul (that rhymed, I'm a wordsmith genius I know), and for a long time after I left I Am king, I really tried to make it work. I wanted to do rock music. As it turned out, the rock world did not want me. In my humble, bias af opinion, most of the music industry is a circus of people who did one too many whip - it’s growing up, all blowing smoke up each others asses, hoping no one will notice they literally have no idea what they're doing or what they're talking about.
Without going into detail of all the fuckery and drama, I'll give you the cliff notes. They wanted to cling to an antiquated business model where you tour for years on end, getting paid a bag of quarters and a half eaten PB and J sandwich every night - With a family to support, choosing to try and be a good father, I left. It was only fitting that my first EP with a really accurate and articulate representation of who I am as an artist was, in title, the total antithesis of that first record.
What can you tell us about the artwork?
It's for sure over the top and dramatic, much like myself lol. On a serious note, it ties into some themes that I thought were important to visualize. A broken guitar, bleeding ripped out heart, and piles and piles of burning money behind a throne that I'm perched on seemed like the most artistic, and accurate representation of what my musical journey has been like.
What did you learn about yourself after finishing this project?
I honestly didn't learn anything new. The project was just one form of my affirmations that I already knew, and tell myself every day - "I am punching a hole in the sky with my dreams. I am unstoppable. I am the best. I can keep going. I believe in hopes, and my dreams."
You seem to get a lot of inspiration from watching Anime - what do you like the most about it?
In a world of social and political agendas, where nothing is as it seems and there is an ulterior motive at every turn - anime stays true, genuine, honest, artistic, abstract and encourages my imagination, thinking and feeling. So many animes I have watched had had a profound impact on how I see the world, who I want to be, and where I want to go. I can honestly say I'd be a different person without it as a form of expression and as an outlet. It only made sense to incorporate that genuine appreciation and passion into something else I had a great passion for - my music.
How's it like to release music in 2021? Any challenges?
Honestly, it's the best and the worst. If you would have asked me that same question just a year or two ago, I would have ALOT of bad things to say. Gripes about algorithms, post suppression, tiktok being dumb, blah blah blah, but I can honestly say I am blessed to be releasing music in this day and age. I've chosen to look at this as an opportunity, with a spirit of gratitude. There are SO many amazing ways to connect with people today, and I don't know if I would change that at this point. As soon as I changed my perspective from "what can I get out of this" to "what value can I give people", everything changed for the better. The only real thing that's challenging at this point is choosing how to play or not to play within the current rules of engagement that are demanded by said platforms - and where you don't want to obey the rules, you often need to pay to stay in the mix. For example, I am not posting 4 tiktoks a day. Just not something, at this time, that I am willing to do with my limited time and energy. The algorithm is hugely designed to look for consistency in posting, so to stay relevant on the platform and overcome the algorithm suppression, you gotta pay up. Is what it is.
As an artist, what is the hardest part? And what is the best part?
I think what most artists thrive on is living life and translating those, often time chaos driven experiences, into their art - So when you're working 50 to 60 hours a week at a soul sucking job, are in a committed relationship, and are a rad dad lvl 9000, hop skip and a jump away from rocking new balance shoes, it's hard to find that vein to tap into. The best part is that you can either choose to overcome that, or die. Frank ocean once wrote about getting married too young, and how detrimental and heart breaking that experience was - yet that never actually happened to him. He empathized so much that he could tap into that perspective and vein.
I've written songs about imaginary situations, people I've passed on the street, or books I've read, all morphing them together with my own experiences to create something genuine and new.
What biggest life lessons have you learned so far?
Dangggg - hitting me with those tough questions. I don't know if it's the biggest or most important, but it's one that's changed my life. My whole life I was hellbent on getting people that mattered to me to believe in me. Whether that be my mom, my dad, brothers, sisters etc etc - and when they didn't that hurt. I wanted to be good enough, to be taken seriously, and be respected. What I realized is that even if the whole world believes in you and thinks you're good enough, that is not a substitute for having real, adamant, relentless belief in YOURSELF. The moment that I literally broke down and decided I was going to unapologetically believe in myself was transformational. No longer waiting for someone to see my talent and invest in me. No longer waiting for approval. Just me believing in ME, and realizing that was not only good enough, but the only thing that matters at the end of the day.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
DAAAANNGGGG - come on now lol. I think the greatest wolf in sheep's clothing throughout history has been the lofty ideal of altruism with a collective perspective. Today we have some crazy, perverse distorted version of a "virtue" driven value system where being the most "virtuous" is the highest rank - all executed on the premise of "HEY LOOK AT ME I’M SUCH A GOOD PERSON - AND THAT PERSON OVER THERE IS NOT A GOOD PERSON SO WE SHOULD SHAME THE FUCK OUT OF THEM, POSSIBLY EVEN BURN THEM AT THE STAKE."
Something about that modus operandi is grotesque and disingenuous to me. I'd much rather a wolf who was bloodthirsty, selfish, and ill intended to be out in the open honest about their shittiness. Then we can at least have real conversation and better understand one another, and maybe even begin healing all the brokenness. I hope that makes sense to someone out there lol.
What message do you want to deliver to the world?
KEEP GOING. DONT GIVE UP. Bleeding for your dreams is a dark, pain ridden path, but I truly believe in you, your hopes, AND your dreams. Making those dreams a reality is worth it. WEEBS UNITE yalllllllll.
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