Denmark’s very own breakthrough producer, DJ, and label manager S.A.M. has thrived in carving out their distinctive sound, striking the balance between modern minimalism and chunky classic house sounds across their catalog of releases. 

From club-focussed heat on PIV and their dreamy collaborative album with Chris Stussy, to the exquisite releases on their own Delaphine imprint, elite production and groove shine through in every track from the Danish underground favorite. 

S.A.M. now debuts on Defected with ‘Spotlight’, featuring striking vocals from Sarah Ikumu who seamlessly covers the well-known Jennifer Hudson song. ‘Spotlight’ is no stranger to big club moments, championed by the likes of Chris Stussy, Luuk Van Dijk, Rossi, Prunk, M-High, Sam Divine, and more, becoming one of 2022’s most in-demand cuts. 

This eternal dancefloor gem is one to be heard loud amongst a crowd and the moments that accompany it are bound to blow you away.

“Spotlight is the first real song I produced, and working with Sarah Ikumu, who’s just such a powerful singer, was an unforgettable experience. I always want to challenge myself and this song totally has done that. 

I feel so much more confident in my abilities. Also, I can’t wait to finally share this track with everyone, as I’ve been working on it since the pandemic started. It has turned out so much better than I could have imagined. 

When I listened to the mix and mastering Joel Krozer did I felt I had more faith in myself as a producer. I can’t wait to get to work on the next project because of it.” – S.A.M.

STREAM HERE

Tell us about the genesis of your project. How did you get to where you are now?
S.A.M. started as a side project, where I wanted to experiment with fusing old school 90s sounds with more contemporary and forward looking production. I was living in Copenhagen in my early 20s doing my studies in Theology at the University and working multiple jobs, but somehow still found the time to start my own imprint for my music Delaphine. I was very DIY at first but over time I’ve realized that doing things together will get you further and make you able to achieve bigger productions, better sound, and so on. So a big shout out here to my family and friends who helped push me and encourage me. I wouldn’t be where I am without their support.

What should a song or piece of art communicate in your opinion? 

I don’t have a rule, condition, or filter set up for art or music. A song and art can change my opinion about what art and songs can communicate, and even how I communicate with myself and others. A song can challenge my perceptions and beliefs like a painting can reveal to me some truths about myself and the world.

What do you do when you’re feeling uninspired?
Take a break from music to be with friends, go to parks, cook or bake something, go to a museum, or maybe listen to an audiobook or something. Usually I get inspired from some down time.

What are your 2022 projects and goals?
First of all I want to get back on the road, which I haven’t been able to do for years due to the pandemic. It feels wonderful to perform again and to be back at it. Apart from that, I can’t wait to spend more time with my family.

Favorite movie or TV show?
Pose, I May Destroy You, We Are Who We Are

Tell us about your latest release and how it came about
I first made a club edit of Jennifer Hudson’s Spotlight, and sent it to my friend Chris Stussy who played it alot in his sets. We got some crazy feedback on it and I wanted to release it, so I got in touch with Defected. After a while we met and talked about doing it as a cover instead with a new singer. It was very important to me that the singer had a personal story or connection to the song, so I started looking up people who had done covers of JHud, and found this video from 2017 of a 15 year old Sarah Ikumu smashing a JHud song on Britains Got Talent which gave me goosebumps! JHud also had her career launched by a talent show. I looked up Sarah on Instagram and talked to Adrienne from Defected about reaching out and so we did and it turned out to be the best match I could have ever expected. Sarah absolutely nailed the 2 day recording session we had in London.

What is something you would want to change in the music and entertainment industry?
I would love to see more historically excluded people get equity in the music scene. The industry is talking a lot about making lineups more diverse, and that is important, but it is every aspect of our scene that needs to change really. Label heads, promoters, club owners, music producers, radio hosts, artists, DJs, live sound technicians, graphic designers and so many more jobs in our economy of music are very much run by men, with men making the decisions largely for the male consumer. My follower base as an example is 80 percent male according to my instagram insights. And we must never forget that House and Techno was born out of the underground LGBTQ+ and BIPoC experience, as a safe place of love and acceptance. So many aspects of night life is currently aggressive and discriminatory and we need to ask who is doing the violence and discrimination? Who is accountable for that if not the people in the powerful shot calling seats? I am so happy though to see that sites like Bandcamp have become such a major player in the music scene supporting independent artists and helping immensely.

Can you outline your creative process?
I dont have one. Don’t fall in love with one workflow. I am trying to work more in short bursts of creativity. Rather than start an idea and work on that the whole day I will start 3 ideas and spend just an hour or two on each, and then revisit those ideas over the following couple of months to see which speaks to me and deserves more work.

Who inspires your style and aesthetics?
I love second hand and vintage. That is something I learned from my mom. She sees a lot of possibility in everything and is a very DIY person who can create anything from seemingly nothing. Super human. Love you Mom!
My spouse Maria is big on vintage and is a fine arts painter, and she has really broadened my aesthetic perspective. I have mixed feelings about the fashion industry tbh. Fashion needs to be degendered. The gender binary is a construct that I think is at the roots of much of the world’s suffering. Gender binary fashion nudges people into a very limited and conforming form of expression.

What is the achievement or moment in your career you are the most proud of and why?
I am proud of so many steps in my journey so far. My debut album Dream State Of A Bellmaker released on my own label Delaphine, as well as performing all over the world, but I am most proud of challenging myself to try to go further and trying out new things. Spotlight was my first time producing a vocal song, and I absolutely loved it and to see Sarah killing it. She’s a star!

What do you think an artist should sing about nowadays?
I think it is important to be conscious about your message. Art is political. Even people who claim to be apolitical do serve a function. It is not possible to be apolitical when your groceries, browser history, and jargon is political. Your choices matter whether you are conscious about them or not. They have an effect on someone else. I do think that we need artists who dare to stand up and use their platform and reach to give voice to the outcasts and misfits. The people who are considered obsolete by the white supremacist capitalist patriarchy.

Do you have any regrets?
Not really, ‘Should have, could have, would have does not form a regret in my head. It just teaches me what to improve next time around.

What is some piece of advice you would give to yourself right now?
To prioritize my relationships with family and friends and being kinder to myself, as I tend to be really hard and perfectionist with myself.

Sarah, what was an important lesson you learned after competing on Britain’s Got talent?

I think the most important thing BGT taught me was ‘everything is a stepping stone’,  ‘The grind never stops’ and ‘take everything with a pinch of salt’

BGT is one of the best things I’ve ever had the opportunity of taking part in and if I’m being honest it’s been the gateway to almost every opportunity I’ve had till today. Having said that, I think people are under a notion that once you’ve taken part in a global competition of that kind, everything comes easily and you’re set for life. 

I’ve had to learn that in fact whenever you have an opportunity like this, you need to switch the gears and work at your goal even harder to fully maximise on the platform you have. Not everything comes easily and you’ve got to keep striving for u want to achieve. 

Lastly…. There’s a lot of people that will make promises to you and sometimes they will keep that promise but most times they won’t. At least in my case. I’ve learnt to not put all my trust in everyone and that’s okay. Eventually you will meet special & trustworthy people but it may take some time. You can only do what you can do and everything else will fall into place in God’s timing! 

How would you describe your style in one or a few words?

Soulful. No matter what genre I may sing there will always be an element of soul!