Samm Henshaw is an artist I’ve been following for nearly three years now, having first heard Only Wanna Be With You back in 2014, a song that still makes me smile every time I hear it. So it’s been really exciting to see him grow, both musically and int erms of his audience and fanbase
He’s set to release The Sound Experiment 2 on July 15, a follow-up EP to last year’s debut, you guessed it, The Sound Experiment. The first single to be released is Our Love, which now has a video clip to accompany.
At only twenty-two years old, he’s enjoyed a steady rise through the ranks of UK and international performances and festivals. This year, he’s set to feature at The Great Escape, Liverpool Sound City, Afropunk, Northside and more.
The track is about Henshaw’s upbringing with Nigerian parents in South London. “I wrote ‘Our Love,” he explains, “about a story my Dad tells from when he first started dating my Mum: his family didn’t approve, but he didn’t care.”
It’s definitely the funkiest track he’s released to date, infusing his gorgeously raspy blues sound with a pop inflection, and I feel like there’s inspiration being drawn from, say, Pharrell, as well as the usual comparisons to Leon Bridges or D’Angelo.
There’s been a huge resurgence of blues and gospel sounds in modern R&B and hip-hop over the past couple of years, meaning it couldn’t be a more perfect time for Henshaw to shine in the spotlight. I’ve loved following his career so far, and am really looking forward to seeing where it’s going. I’d love to see him feature a rapper if he ever chose to go down a slightly different musical path!
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