FEATURE:
Spotlight
Samm Henshaw
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MAYBE you know about him already…
PHOTO CREDIT: Jordy Bikila
but, as there has been rumours of a debut album, Untidy Soul, I thought it would be a good time to spotlight Samm Henshaw. He has been on the scene for a few years but, as there are so many great new artists, it is understandable that some might be aware of Henshaw. I am going to bring in a few interviews where we get to learn about his background and which artists/sounds have inspired him. I really like the warmth and soulfulness of his voice. The sound has changed and evolved over the past couple of years, though it is Henshaw’s vocal that, to me, is his strongest suit – few have one as distinctive as him. There are some 2019 interviews that are interesting. Then, Henshaw was relatively fresh and getting a lot of buzz. He spoke with GQ, where we got a sense of the artists he lauded growing up:
“You might not immediately recognise Samm Henshaw, but chances are you’ve heard him. With a voice so warm and rich a synesthete would call it golden, the 24-year-old South Londoner makes the sort of timeless music you just can’t help but like. His two huge viral hits from last year, “How Does it Feel?” and “Broke”, already feel ever-present, like songs from a film soundtrack that you instantly recognise, but can’t put your finger on when or where you heard them.
Henshaw – full name Iniabasi Samuel Henshaw – grew up listening to Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. The son of a reverend, this gospel artist's soulful style was honed at church, but his sound is still thoroughly "modern", with a definite London edge. Sunny, feel-good vibes are tempered with a thoughtful, engaging lyricism. It’s little wonder, then, that the powers that be sat up and listened to Henshaw – one of YouTube's Ones To Watch for 2019 – from the very start of his career. He has supported Chance The Rapper and James Bay on tour and has worked with the likes of Pharrell, Rag ‘N’ Bone Man, Wretch 32 and Maverick Sabre. Here, Henshaw talks to GQ about his formative firsts, from falling in love and feeling stage fright to making music and promoting student nights.
The first time you realised you wanted to be a musician...
"I’ve been into music my whole life but I don't think I’d ever considered it as a career until I was in university. That was like four or five years ago now."
The first time you made money out of being a musician...
"I was in a band called Ill Phunk and I think we did a show at 229 on Great Portland Street. That was my first payment. Either that or a wedding”.
It is intriguing discovering how young artists got their start and those experiences. It seems like the next couple of years are going to be transformative and successful for Henshaw, as his music finds more ears and a wider audience.
When Fred Perry spoke with Samm Henshaw, again, we got a look at his influences and musical heroes. It is clear that the church and soulful music has made a big impact on him:
“If you could be on the line up with any two bands in history?
Damn maybe Queen, first, the Bohemian Rhapsody film despite its critics actually solidified for me just how many hits they had, they were actually geniuses!
Second, it’ll be Outkast, they were and are one of the best ever hip-hop group to exist (quietly hoping for a reunion), musically, creatively, the boundaries they pushed they sound-tracked so many people’s lives.
Which Subcultures have influenced you?
Definitely the Church as my Dad is a reverend, so was brought up in the Church, from the music, to the worship, to the style of playing, if definitely influenced my music heavily.
If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
Ummm maybe Martin Luther King, I would love to know what motivated him but also if he knew his life would have such a massive impact on society after he passed.
Of all the venues you’ve been to, which is your favourite?
That’s a hard one! Possibly Brixton academy, I’ve played there a few times but also watched some great artists play there, James Bay, Chance the Rapper, Tori Kelly, it’s one of them London venues that always knows how to create the proper London vibe no matter who you see
The first track you played on repeat?
Michael Jackson - 'Beat It'
The whole song just blew my mind from start to end the energy, his vocal it just made me want to dance as a kid
A song that defines the teenage you?
Bashy - 'Black Boys'
During my teenage years I was into anything grime or grime related and Bashy alongside, Sketpa, Ghetts, Kano and Wiley just stood out for me. This song, in particular, felt like a little anthem for us growing up.
One record you would keep forever?
'Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill'
Over 20 years in and still going strong, imagine making one album and being able to tour off of it for over 20 years!! The proof is in the pudding, absolute monster of an album”.
I am going to move on to some more recent interviews in a minute. Reading that interview above, it is clear that there was so much excellent and vibrant music being played in the Henshaw household. That has fed into the work he is producing now. I can hear elements of Lauryn Hill and shades of OutKast, perhaps. Henshaw is definitely original, though there are touches of his musical favourites through his songs.
PHOTO CREDIT: YouTube Music/Dan Wong
The final 2019 interview I want to bring in is from Wonderland. Aside from, once more, chatting about his musical heroes, Henshaw was asked about his uplifting music and what he wants the listener to take away:
“What do you think are the key differences between a studio and gospel album?
I think studio albums limit what you do a lot, but it’s understandable if you want to get on the radio. But then with a live setting, you can end up giving away too much of what you can do. I think the main difference is everything is a little more watered down in a studio setting.
What inspires your music?
Life experiences, the things that I’ve seen in myself or what’s going on in my life. I’m always just trying to tap into those things. There are some songs I’ve written that are about my relationships with my dad, mum, sisters, friends, girlfriends – stuff like that.
Your music is really happy and uptempo. How do you want people to feel after they’ve listened to you?
For me, I wanted to marry the juxtaposition of things sounding happy and uptempo, but also actually being able to say something. I remember Kanye used to do it, when you listen to his earlier records. I recently now am hearing the things that he was saying, songs that used to make me so happy, and then you realise he’s talking about real stuff. For me, that’s what I wanted to do. Grab these nice, warm sounds and really talk about something.
How do you feel about Kanye now?
I don’t pay too much attention to what he’s doing. I mean there’s things that he’s said that have definitely hurt people, but I don’t feel like that’s his intention. But who knows what’s going on in his mind. Hope he’s all right.
Who are your musical heroes?
Kanye. Mostly because of production and the stuff he worked on before his own album. I love the Common album, Be, and the early John Legend Get Lifted album – which I thought was wicked. Also Lauryn Hill”.
I am going to move things to 2021. Even during the pandemic, Samm Henshaw has been getting attention and new investigation. Songs such as Grow are among the best he has ever produced. I am looking forward to an album and what we might get from that. Flaunt talked to Henshaw earlier in the year about the then-new single, All Good:
“Being from South London, what was the household growing up?
It was quite a packed house, I lived with a few people. My parents took in two of my older cousins. They were a lot like my older sisters, my little sister didn't come along till later on. We lived in a really small flat in Camberwell. I remember everything being played from gospel to Spice Girls. It was cool being the youngest in that house because there were different tastes from everywhere. My parents were obviously into gospel, my dad loved jazz, country music, and a bunch of other vibes. My older cousins were listening to whatever was on MTV at the time or on the radio. Whatever commercial, mainstream vibes were going, then the hip-hop stuff. My older sister as well.
Everyone had their own vibe so there’s so much to take from growing up. I had an uncle that loved music, he DJ’d a lot and would make mixtapes for us. The music he’s providing us with was very versatile, it was a vibe to have that much music taste. As I got a bit older when I was in secondary school (or high school), it was more grime. I started falling more in love with soul music and wanting to be a bit more intentional about educating myself on that stuff. I grew up with a lot of it but the older I got, the more I’m like “let me become a student on these people.”
“All Good” out now. It’s such a vibe. What was that recording session like?
Like this, it was literally over Zoom. It was fun. It’s weird because the guys I wrote with, Josh Grant and Emma D. D., I’m used to being in a room with them. We'll goof around for 6 hours, work for 30 minutes, goof around for a few more hours then get back to work. It was hard not being able to do that in the same room, but it was still fun. It was a unique experience having to sit down and write a song based off a flow we’d been given. We’d been given a bunch of flows, we had to come up with a song around it. This is what we ended up with, which is fun and cool.
What does a record like this mean during this time? I feel like we’re all going through it.
It’s important. For me personally, I had a year where it started off pretty good, got crappy when Covid hit, then remained crappy for a while. I started speaking for myself and having more time with myself, feeling like “I need to make the most of this situation.” I need to figure out what I can do and what can be done within this time with this position I’m in. How do I figure stuff out? A lot of what we ended up writing was based off of conversations about how the year’s going. The thing that kept hitting me was gratitude. I kept looking at all the negative things that happened this year, I kept looking at the negative sides of this year. When I took time out to pray or speak about it with people, I’d say things and realize how grateful I was for the time I had this year and the parts I could be grateful for this year.
The song really was to make me or anyone to look at the situation and their circumstance this year, be able to try to look at the positive side of things. That really changed the perspective on how things have gone and how things are going. That’s not to take away from any of the negative things that happened. It’s the idea of the more I dwell on the negative things that happened, it's not going to change. It’s still going to remain very negative and that’s going to affect my mind, my body, my spirit, my soul. It became very important to give people hope, something to look at even if it’s a reminder. That doesn’t even apply to this year, that applies to life in general. If something bad has happened or I have a negative thought, I think to myself “it’s all good, it could be worse.”
Looking back, how does it feel to be where you are today?
It’s great, I’m grateful. It’s a big deal. I wasn’t the best type of human growing up. A lot of people who knew me thought that I wasn’t going to amount to anything and I felt that way about myself a lot of the time. To be doing something I love and to be doing it the way I love to do it, the experience I’ve had, the places I’ve been and the people I’ve met, I can only be grateful. It’s incredible.
Talk about the independent journey and wanting to start your own label.
I was with Columbia for the majority of my career, the easiest way of putting it is both of our visions for me were different. The way they perceived me, the way I perceived me, was very different. The things I wanted to accomplish and the things I ultimately cared about weren’t the same things they cared about. When it comes to labels, they're very much a one track way of doing everything. The more I’ve been in this industry, the more times have changed, I’m seeing there isn’t one route you need to take now. It’s about what you prioritize and what your end goals are. We were on two very different wavelengths. Ultimately that’d affect the creative side of everything, which I hated.
We parted ways and now, I'm happier than I've ever been. I’m really getting to use my brain and use the creative side of me with everything I do. Get to pick who I want around, run it how I want to run it. I get to learn from my mistakes. One of the things that pissed me off a lot about being with a label is someone else can make a mistake and it’s still my fault, because it’s my name on it all. It’s nice to be able to make decisions and choices and it all be down to me at the end of the day”.
Actually, I will leave things there. I would urge people to check out Henshaw’s music and follow him online (there are links below). We are going to see so much more fantastic and sumptuous music from him. One of the brightest young British talents, Samm Henshaw is definitely primed…
FOR big success.
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Follow Samm Henshaw
