Before Annie Goodchild, there used to be Sam. After taking an Ancestry DNA test, the acclaimed singer, songwriter and recording artist learned that before being adopted, she used to be named Samantha.

This realisation marks the starting point for their new single, ‘Gentle’. The track is the first single to be taken from her upcoming EP of the same name, an explorative new collection of cinematic, left-field pop, and Goodchild’s first release under their new creative moniker I Used To Be Sam. To accompany the release, Annie also shares a haunting music video.

Raised in “a full-on Irish household” in the suburbs of Boston, Goodchild grew up listening to ‘90s hip-hop and R’nB and singing in gospel choirs – their heroes were “the great female vocalists” Ella Fitzgerald, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday and Janis Joplin. After taking an impulsive trip to Guatemala at the age of 18, Annie formed the band Melou with an eclectic and talented group of musicians who toured throughout Western Europe and the States for five year.