Dubbed by Pharrell as an artist ‘so talented it’s scary’, we introduce you to Samm Henshaw – the South London native who has already been invited on tour by the likes of American rapper Chance The Rapper.
Hi Samm! So, how did your upcoming single ‘Church’ come about?
Samm Henshaw: Basically, I really wanted to write a song called ‘Church’. I was sitting down with Josh Grant, who I basically produce a lot of my music with, and Arrow Benjamin, an incredible writer, and I think I said to Josh: “I want to write a song call ‘Church’.” We both started to think up the idea of the song, and what we wanted it to be about, and they basically come about is how my mum would wake me up to go church on a Sunday morning, and I would rather just basically be in bed or stay at home and watch cartoons.
Taking it back, quickly: when did you first decide to pursue a career in music, and if you didn’t take this path, where would you be?
SH: Funnily enough, I never really wanted to do this – I didn’t actually see myself doing this. I guess any generation before this one, we didn’t really have social media; so the acting and the music worlds were very mysterious; nobody really knew how to get into it. So I just went to uni with the intention of becoming a music teacher. But fortunately I ended up living with a bunch of producers, and I basically started working on music with them, with nothing really in mind. That ended up becoming my first EP, ‘The Sound Experiment’, and so through that process, I met my manager too. So I think through working with them, they kind of gave me my mind in the industry, and opened this world of music.
Your music style is very unique, with a wide range of influences – but do you ever feel there are any challenges with that, since genres such as Grime and Drill are more dominant?
SH: I did find it hard to try get anywhere with what I was creating. I did think I wasn’t going to get anywhere, because I never wanted to fit in – and even if I’ve ever tried to fit in in my general life, it just never worked. Eventually I came to the conclusion that I just wasn’t going to try to fit in – I’d just do what felt natural. I saw what everyone else was doing, the songs that they were making, and it’s not me. At this point, I’m not really fussed by it, but I guess I did have my moment where I felt I couldn’t fit in. There’s a time and a season for everything.
Tell us something about your time in the studio with Pharrell – what kind of things happened?
SH: (He laughs.) Quite a lot of stuff actually! We worked with each other in London, and I think there was a point where I was sitting next to him, my friend was with me too, and we were watching him produce, and we just kind of looked at each other. We didn’t say anything, but it was almost like a telepathic conversation – looking at each other like, how have we gone from like being two boys, playing in church in South London, to being in a room with Pharrell? Just, you know, kind of everything we’ve been through, to literally producing a joint collab [with Pharrell]. When I was working for Pharrell in LA, there was a point when he told me that he could see why other people would want to work with me: ‘There’s something so exciting about you, your talent is scary.’ No matter what happens, I’m always going to remember that… it will always stick in my head.
You’ve been on tour with some really cool people who’ve also made their mark on the music scene. What’s a lesson you’ve taken from that experience?
SH: I think overall what I learned was just to have a spirit of excellence, and an aim of really good work. I’m still learning to work hard – even working with Pharrell, because honestly, the guy’s been in the game longer than probably everyone I’ve been on tour with combined, and he still works until he’s the last person in the studio. He’s got all the attributes I guess all of us I guess are trying to get. From everyone that we toured with, and this is more from a gig perspective, working with Chance [The Rapper], and working with James Bay, you just learn to have a high standard with everything, making sure that the show or whatever you’re doing is the best version of what it can be. Trying to up it continuously every time. I literally remember watching James change the show half way through a tour, because he wanted it to be that much better. That was incredible to me; I will definitely pick that up, and want to take that everywhere.
So outside of music, what other talents and interests do you have?
SH: I really love writing. I’ve always loved writing and used to write little scripts before, so picked that hobby back up recently.
And finally, where can you expect to see yourself, in one year’s time?
SH: (He laughs.) Touring the world; having an album out. Then I’ll promote it, and hopefully by grace of God, I’ll progress, and do all of this but on a much larger scale.
Samm Henshaw, EARTHGANG – Church
Samm Henshaw’s new single, Church, is out now. Follow him on social media (Twitter and Instagram): @SammHenshaw
