The singer’s new single, “Talk,” is dropping on Friday — so of course, we had to have a chat!
You may know signer Sam Creighton as a breakout star from Season 1 of “Sing It On”; a PopTV reality series produced by John Legend. (In case you haven’t seen it, the season can currently be streamed on Netflix!) Earlier this year, the rising artist released her debut solo single, “Adore,” and we instantly fell in love with it. Now, this May 4, she will be following up with another exciting release: you can catch “Talk” this Friday!
To celebrate this new release, YSBnow caught up with Sam and had her spill all about her creative process. She got real about her sound, social media pressures, and more — so make sure to catch our exclusive interview below!
YSBnow: Coming from the world of a cappella, how do you think that helped you when it came down to finding your original sound?
Sam Creighton: I think my experience in a cappella definitely helped cultivate my taste in music and helped me discover the type of music I wanted to be making and releasing. I always had an affinity for pop/r&b so I wanted to take little pieces of each of those genres and someone intertwine them into my own music! Being in a group for 5 years that sings specifically cover songs though, I was exposed to so much music, and with that, so much music that I LOVED. Not to say it was a detriment, but I certainly have music ADD now, because of how expansive my taste is. That makes it a little more difficult to craft a unique sound because I find myself saying “Oh, I want to make a song like THAT! Oh, NO! I want to make a song like THIS!” but I think as I continue to record and release music, my sound will develop naturally. Until then, I’m loving the creative process. Music is so vulnerable and malleable. It can literally be ANYTHING you want it to be.
YSBnow: What has been the biggest challenge, thus far, as a solo artist and how did you overcome it?
Sam Creighton: My biggest challenge thus far is believing in myself. I have experience with both anxiety and depression, as SO MANY of us do, and thanks to those pesky little illnesses, it’s made it more challenging to see my own value, or to not compare myself to others. However, I know how important it is to love myself, because once your self-love comes from within, it starts to literally radiate outwards, and it makes it so much easier for others to really get in your camp and support you and believe in you once you start to believe in yourself.
YSBnow: In a world where social media and followers have more power than ever and add so much pressure to young people’s lives, YSBnow strives to promote positivity and self-love. What positive message do you hope that fans take away from your music?
Sam Creighton: I think that social media is both the best and the worst thing happening to our youth right now. Its incredible in that it easily connects us, and makes communication and networking very simple. However, everyone posts their highest of highs, setting an unrealistic expectation about the ups and downs of real life. Of course, I have my bad days, and days where I didn’t put makeup on, or do anything exciting. But am I going to post about that? NO! I’m going to post a photo of me with glitter hair in front of a Ferris wheel at Coachella. Why? Because it makes my life look desirable.
But do you know what else it does? It makes it hard not to compare when you’re sitting in your room after a long day, wondering what everyone else is doing, only to click through Instagram stories and see the incredible things everyone else is doing while you’re heaving scoops of halo top into your mouth because you didn’t get that job you really wanted. Its a vicious cycle, and it’s contributing to depression and body image issues, without a doubt.
One of my favorite quotes, however, is “Name one successful woman who got to where she is by scrolling on Instagram depressing herself with other people’s fabricated lives.” This quote ties directly into what I would love for you to take away from [my single] “Adore.” I was in a tough place before releasing this music. Riddled with self doubt and existential crises, and seeing everyone around me succeed and live fulfilled lives. I finally thought to myself, “it’s time to stop feeling bad for myself, and do what I am here on this planet to do. So I got up, put Instagram down, and wrote “Adore,” ironically about asking for adoration. But in reality, the entirety of the process is my version of self love. If you want to do something, do IT! You ARE good enough, you ARE ready, and YOU ARE DESERVING. SO put down the phone, stop watching other people make their own dreams come true, and turn your dreams into reality. It starts by simply deciding to do it!
YSBnow: Have you ever felt the pressures of social media? How did you combat it and what advice would you give to someone who may need some help going through the same thing?
Sam Creighton: I absolutely have felt the pressures of social media. As I just explained, it’s hard not to get sucked in. We have this intense feeling of missing out on something (FOMO, as the kids call it), so we watch stories and post beautiful photos to stay relevant and to feel like we fit in. However, how can we have FOMO if we don’t even know its happening? That is my advice – is to put your phone down for a day or two. What matters is what YOU’RE DOING. Not what everyone else is doing. Stop and smell the roses. Give yourself some love. Look at the stars. Enjoy the flowers through your eyes, instead of through your eyes through a screen. Always remember that you, too, are capable of living an extraordinary life, but that life does not happen through your phone. Don’t miss out on connections and experiences because you’re looking down for the next best thing.
Want to hear the track Sam just mentioned? You can check out some of “Adore” below:
Plus, you can stream it on Spotify now! Be sure to keep an eye out for her new single “Talk” to drop this Friday, May 4.