Q&A With AV Queer Hits Featured Artist: El Sam
Ambient Vibes had the opportunity to ask El Sam some questions. I hope you enjoy it!
Who are some of your major influences?
Growing up in the 90s, my mom used to record cassettes from the radio, songs from the Spice Girls, Toni Braxton, Celine Dion, Natalie Imbruglia, Nina Simone and so many different artists, so I would say my childhood had a colourful musical background in it. As I grew up, I started looking more into David Bowie and Marc Almond, both sonically and visually, so a lot of my visuals are inspired by SoftCell (Marc Almond) and Bowie. I am now and have been for a long time in love with Lana Del Rey, the poetry of her music is something I find myself very much related to.
What are your Top 3 songs you've created and why?
-Twenty Three: released in 2019. It was at a very difficult time that I wrote this track, I had a tough year with my mental health and whilst figuring myself out as a person and an artist, I decided to write this song. I still get emotional singing it, it has a big place in my music collection, both lyrically and musically.
-My Interlude: released in 2020. This song started off as a demo, definitely out of my comfort zone, I hated it when I first started it, I didn’t feel like it represented me well but as I mixed and produced it, I started feeling more comfortable with it and it happens to now be one of my favourites to perform as well.
-One I used to be: released in 2020. This song is on the top of the list of songs I like to perform and feel proud to have released. The mix of Arabic melodies and vocals with the emotional lyrics makes this song the perfect example of an “El Sam” track.
What's the story behind "Wahyatak"
I wrote “Wahyatak” while I was on a trip to Morocco. I felt like I was back home in the Middle East, as I haven’t been there for many years. It is a nostalgic track of history and memories of one’s life. Almost like a storyline, a journey of every step in my life so far. Reminiscing to the older days of my childhood, the simplicity of it all, I wrote Wahyatak.
Are there any struggles you've gone through as an Artist?
Everyday is a struggle within an artist’s life unfortunately. Especially as an independent artist, you have a lot to invest in, your life, time, money and lots more on top of having your normal life responsibilities, but that’s life in general. The main struggle is keeping up, the demand in order to stay “relatable” can be overwhelming. Another huge struggle, financials. As independent artists, money is a huge struggle, essentially we invest what we earn to take a higher step, but earning decent money as an artist is commonly known to be difficult.
How long does it typically take you to write and produce a song? What is the process?
It depends, each track has a different process. I don’t usually have writing sessions, songs come to me in the weirdest of times, sometimes I wake up with a song idea from my sleep so I have my phone next to me to voice record all the time. In terms of producing, I like to take my time producing my tracks, it is essential to get every detail just right. I usually start with making the base sounds, like drums and piano, and then build it from there. It’s almost like I can visualise waveforms of how the song needs to sound like.
Where are you from? Tell us about home.
I am British-middle eastern. My family has a big mix of backgrounds and I lived most of my childhood in the Middle East. Growing up was difficult and although I loved the places I got to grow up in, I always struggled with fitting in with the surroundings. I take pride in having a Middle Eastern background for sure, it has taught me to be tough and given me a spice in life that I never would have gotten if I didn’t have that experience.
You’re a new addition to the crayon box. What colour would you be and why?
I would be light Crimson, almost dark peach. I find the colour to be edgy, warm but also seeking alert and attention. It’s almost sharp to touch but somehow comforting to look at.
What does your morning routine look like?
Wake up, kettle on, morning facial, shower, coffee (most essential part of my morning): 1 tsp smooth coffee, 3 tsp coffee mate, 1 sweetener ;)
Describe your life using film titles.
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, everyday is a fashion statement day for me. Everywhere I go, I like to dress up and if I was to be in a real life movie character, I would be a male Meryl Streep.
What's next for you? What projects are you working on? Tell us all of it!
My goal in the next year is to collaborate with as many artists as possible. I aim to reach out for my influences as well to support their shows as live shows come back to life and touring is on my list for sure.
I have some songs that I was to put out prior to my 3rd studio album, so that is something to look forward to for sure.
Listen to “Energy” by El Sam on the Ambient Vibes: Queer Hits on Spotify now.