I used to be Sam - Mountains (Single) + 10 Questions

Internationally acclaimed singer, songwriter and vocal powerhouse I Used To Be Sam (aka Annie Goodchild) returns with their brand new single ‘Mountains’, out now. The track is the latest instalment taken from their upcoming debut EP, ‘I Used to be Sam’, set for release this summer.

Previously known for her work as Annie Goodchild and as a featured singer in the musical collective Postmodern Jukebox, I Used To Be Sam steps into a complex journey of transracial adoption and self-discovery on their new EP ‘I Used to Be Sam’ - an explorative new collection of deeply personal, cinematic, left-field pop, all wrapped up in the singers distinctively illustrious voice.

After taking an Ancestry DNA test, I Used To Be Sam learned that before being adopted, she used to be named Samantha. Album cornerstone ‘Mountains’ explores the sensation of emerging up out of ‘the fog’; a term that some adoptees use to describe the way they feel, think, and operate while growing up cloaked in denial, conditioning and ignorance. Coming out of the fog refers to the organic and non-linear process by which an adoptee begins to unlearn and deconstruct the mythologies taught to them about adoption by their adoptive family and mainstream society at large.

I Used to be Sam sat down with Wordplay to answer our infamous 10 Questions:

1. So tell me, how did it all begin? What sparked your love for music?

I can't really remember a time in my life without music and also sound in general.  Smells can trigger memory, but sounds do the same for me.  Like the sound of our old refrigerator chugging away to its old little song.  Or the creaky wooden floor at my moms house.  Falling in love with music really came from my love for the great female vocalists of my time.  I remember hearing Aretha Franklin's, “Ain't No Way,”  for the first time when I was little and just having my whole world shake.  I also had a piano in the house growing up, so even before my feet could reach the pedals, I would pick out little melodies, which led to me figuring out simple chords.  Once I realised I could sound out the songs I was hearing, it was a really natural progression to starting to write my own music.

2. Who are some artists that influence you and that you want to work with in the future?

There are so many incredible artists that have impacted me and that I'd love to work with.  A small fraction of those artists I'd love to collaborate with are Bon Iver, AMYRA, FKA twigs, James Blake, Max Richter, and The Breath.

3.  What projects do you have coming up and can you give us any info on them?

My debut EP as I Used To Be Sam will be out on the 14th of June.  I'm really excited to share this part of myself, and extremely moved that ten other TRA’s (transracial adoptees) are adding parts of their stories to the project as well.  I also have a few collaborations in the works, with Birdmask and Redmoon which I’m really excited about!

4. How would you describe your sound?

I would say I make Cinematic alt pop, with folk influences.

5. What's your proudest moment to date so far as an artist?

I’m most proud of the “I Used To Be Sam” project. It's been a big emotional undertaking for me, and that's been scary.  I don’t think I was able to have the conversations with myself necessary to make this music before this point, and there’s something vulnerable about that, but also beautiful.  Since “Gentle” and “Mountains” have been released, I've heard back from the TRA’s who contributed to this project. To hear the impact this has had on them, the emotions they have felt, and to know they now have music to mirror back their experiences has been everything to me, and I feel really proud of that.

6. Do you have any advice for our readers who may be trying to play the mad game of music?

One of the things I work on the most (and probably will always have to do) is shutting down the voice in your head that says something isn’t good enough or that you’re a fraud.  Finish the song.  Even if you think the song is shit. Holding value to what you do outside of followers and streams, for me at least, is the only way I can be a part of this industry.

7. Are there any artists on your radar right now that we should check out?

Yes! AMYRA, Ríoghnach Connolly, and Ganavya.

8. What albums are on heavy rotation on your Spotify playlist currently?

Laura Mvula’s, “Sing To The Moon,”  Max Richter’s, “The Blue Notebook,” James Blake’s “Friends that Break Your Heart,” and The Breath’s, “Let the Cards Fall,” are a few of the current soundtracks of my life.

9. What do you like to do when you're not making music?

I'm an extreme homebody, so most days you’ll find me on my couch or in bed having some big feelings, reading graphic novels and strange fiction, or watching a movie.  If on the rare occasion I’m out and about, you’ll find me with my funny and super talented friends having adult sleepovers and laughing my ass off.

10. Name Three things you can't live without when in the studio?

Water, the right vibes, and a hidden corner to make weird faces while I’m singing.