Sam Callahan first came to public attention when he appeared in the live shows on the 10th UK season of The X Factor. Since the show, Sam has pursued his own music career and has recently released his latest single Say Something. Here he speaks with Dave Cross about his journey through the music industry so far.
Hi Sam, how has 2018 been for you so far?
Hi! So far for me, music-wise 2018 has already been my best year yet. It was kicked off to a mega start when the release of my last single in December 2017, Burns Like Fire, became my first top 100 chart hit. Since then I have signed my first record deal with global independent record label Mean Recordings and completed my own headline tour of the UK with some other wicked artists too. Obviously right now is super exciting as I am releasing my follow up single Say Something, which I feel is my best work yet and I cannot wait to show everybody what I have been busy creating. In addition to these bits and bobs I am also working on some collaborative work with some super talented artists, writers and producers in the music industry, which is a first for me. It’s an honour to have those kinds of talented people believing in me and wanting to jump onboard and work with me too.
We are loving the new single, what can you tell us about it?
Thank you! The new single Say Something is about a relationship between two people that never truly materialised. It’s about that unspoken ground where two people may have feelings towards each other, but if nobody makes the first move then that relationship will never truly reach its full potential. I think it’s a situation that happens often with young adults at school and college or in the workplace where we’re often warned that our bosses etc don’t take lightly to ‘relationships within the workplace’, so nobody gets to make the first move. Generally I write from personal experience as I think that that is when you get the most heartfelt outcome from the music. Working with hit producer Jamie Sellers of Runwild Music is always an absolute pleasure of course and Jamie had an awesome part to play in the creation of this new single, so a big thanks to him for working his magic on that.
We also liked the last single, Burns Like Fire, is there an album on the way, and what can you tell use about that?
Thanks! Yes definitely. I feel like Burns Like Fire was the first taste of the real sound of Sam Callahan that the world has been exposed to. Obviously we’ve seen creations from myself before, but 99% of those creations where either collaborative efforts for other people’s musical projects or myself exploring music directions which weren’t 100% right for me as an artist. I feel like after a show like The X Factor you get a lot of contradicting advice pulling you in all sorts of directions as an artist, and it has taken me this long to really find myself and find my perfect sound for me as an emerging artist in today’s music industry.
In finding that sound, however, I have been writing and recording non-stop and therefore I have a ton of music which I cannot wait to show the world. An album is definitely on the way, but I think establishing my sound with a few singles and possibly collaborating with another artist before putting out an album is imperative. But I can confirm an album is in the making!
We know you are going to be a busy boy over the next month or so with loads of events, including some international dates, can you tell us more?
Absolutely! I love being busy, I’m the kind of person who will start to climb the walls if I sit still for too long. This summer is going to be awesome, I am performing at festivals, from my local The Brentwood Festival in with BBC Essex to as far as Canada’s Flavours of Our World festival in July and I can’t wait.
And you are appearing at some UK Prides, do you enjoy those?
I am due to perform at four or five UK Pride festivals this year, which I love. They are always a cracking laugh to perform at, as everyone is usually up for a party and a good time.
Obviously we first got to know you on The X Factor, looking back now, what are your memories of that time?
The X Factor for me was a real rollercoaster of emotions. For me my most treasured memories are of the tour performances, performing in front of 10,000 – 20,000 people night after night for 42 performances. That, for me, was a dream come true. Living in The X Factor house was great as everyone was grateful to be there and the spirits were high 90% of the time, although after a while towards the end of the competition the stress definitely got to some people and tensions began to rise. For me, I was fine with dealing with the pressures along the way. For as heavy as they weighed on my shoulders, they effected my family at home more. We’re a close knit family and always have been and the lack of control they had over the stressful, pressure cooker-like environment that I was in was a struggle for them to deal with, especially my mum. However, I guess you have to take the good with the bad and the reality is I am grateful for the platform that The X Factor provided me with to grow the amazing, loyal fanbase I have today and launch my music career.
What are your plans for the rest of 2018?
My main plans for 2018 are to keep progressing and making music and to perform live and meet as many fans as possible. I want to collaborate with more artists, I want to write with more writers, I wants to travel more of the world with my music and, most of all, I want other people to fall in love with my music in the way that I have.
Sam Callahan’s new single Say Something is available to buy on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play and Amazon.
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