Inspired #268 - Sam Walwyn
TikTok influencer Sam Walwyn has just released his indie pop track ‘First Place’, which sees him harness his rich spectrum of rhythmic and melodic sounds. He took a moment to talk to us about the influences behind his music.
Who are your top three musical inspirations and why?
Maggie Rogers - the energy she puts into her songs is phenomenal! She is also very much a part of the production process and I love how you can hear her influence in wanting to create organic sounds from natural samples like birds tweeting etc
Charlie Puth - He’s a musical genius! But he shows it in such an accessible way. There’s no denying he has such a great understanding of music theory but it translates so well to the pop records he produces. It gives his releases such a refreshing feel because there are so many more elements to his records than the majority of pop records.
Leon Bridges - His voice is so emotive. You can’t help but be totally transfixed with every word Leon is saying. I also love the development we’ve seen in his sound over the past 3/4 years. We can see he is really coming into his own sound and moving away from the ‘Motown’/‘Sam Cooke’ style that we all were introduced to. It takes balls to breakaway from the brand that brought him to fame and I really respect that, because you can clearly see he has a strong vision of his music and he will fight for that at all costs.
Is there a certain film that inspires you and why?
I’ve been thinking of an answer to this for 10 mins haha and as much as I’d like to say Harry Potter those are my comfort films .. they’re not necessarily inspiring haha but to answer you properly I love all the Jon Bellion studio documentaries on YouTube (songwriter+producer for artists like Justin Bieber). He’s such an awesome songwriter and producer and seeing how he talks and interacts with music is so inspiring I always want to write music after watching him in his creative element.
What city do you find the most inspiring and why?
I am currently back in Jersey C.I for a chunk of this summer and I have to say this place inspires me to write the most. Maybe inspire is the wrong word because being here gives me the breathing space to digest the subjects that I want to write about, so I can write about them properly. But saying that I love creating and writing with my buddies in London. I’m very much looking forward to getting back and recording more music!
Who is the most inspiring person to you and why?
Probably Jon Bellion. Just watching his studio videos on YouTube makes me want to write an album immediately! The way he explores ideas and the energy he has talking and working on songs, is inspiring. Even through a screen you feel the buzz he has. I would love to write with him because I think it would just be a dope day haha
What were your inspirations when writing your new track?
I shot my shot with this girl who I wanted to see if we could be something more. After being turned down, I realised even though I was gutted I didn’t want to lose her. I wanted to encapsulate that feeling of moving on but realising “I haven’t caught up yet” (quote from the chorus of First Place)
How would you like to inspire people?
My main goal with my music is to give emotions context. Whether it’s happy or sad I want to give that feeling or experience a story. I love listening to songs that put the feelings I don’t understand into a perfect 3/4 minute package and reassure me that I’m not alone feeling whatever I’m feeling. I aim to do the same in my music.