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Interview with
PEDRO SAMP

(10th October 2021)

Interview by Dave Bruce

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Have you always wanted to be a musician? When did you get the song writing bug?
Indeed. I’ve always been crazy about music and guitars. At the age of 3 my parents introduced me to their favourites: The Police, Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd and Simply Red.
But it wasn’t until I was 11 yo when I managed to get my first guitar through one of my mates:  I traded a Nintendo video game and two Led Zeppelin CDs for an old guitar he had with rusty strings. It was a ´King´by Dolphin… By Yamaha. A Strat styled guitar. My dad would never get me a guitar, so I understood I had to figure it out another way to get one. To this day, it has completely shaped my life. Music and signwriting has been my own voice which helps me navigating through life.

How would you describe your sound? Why do you think people resonate with your music?
In one word I’d go with Cinematic I’m fascinated with movies and started my career writing movie soundtracks for the mainstream cinema.
I really can’t tell why people resonate with my music as everyone gives it a different meaning and this is truly beautiful. I can tell what’s in my music though: I come from a broken family. We were once happy together and very loving to each other. Then my father left us. As the time went by, I learned that I could re-live all those precious pain-free moments whenever I pleased by simply listening to the great music that my parents introduced me to. All our memories are preciously forever locked inside some of my favourite songs. From The Police to Eric Clapton, Simply Red, Men at Work and Dire Straits. I’m currently in a life quest after melodies capable of bringing smiles, pleasure, tears and joy.

Which artist’s music and/or performance, past or present, inspires you today? 
Eric Clapton, Mac Miller, Dire Straits, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Foals.

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Your new single “Silver” has just been released! Describe its origin and evolution. 
Silver – my newest single (launched the 8th of October). This song portrays someone that has a really hard time communicating/expressing themselves in a relationship and how dangerous this can be for both parts as they can be truly unpredictable if they don’t talk or express their feelings.

Is there an EP or Album on the drawing board?
There are 3 new singles I’m currently working on and a tight schedule to keep them coming throughout next year.

Any tours or events coming up soon? What are you looking forward to, and what can the fans expect?
Unfortunately, COVID has drastically affected gigs for me and being a one-man band doesn’t help either being 100% honest. I’m planning to do a couple of Instagram live sessions by the end of the year because I dearly miss playing live.

How has COVID affected you to date? What have you introduced to balance the losses from missed events?
It took its toll on my mental health. Being locked up not being able to see friends and family was very tough. Not knowing how you’d progress with your career since gigs were now prohibited by law, triggered high levels of anxiety.
Very luckily one of the things we were allowed to leave home for during the lockdowns here in the UK was to exercise. So, I really got into running and that kept my anxiety in check. It really helped me getting through.

If you could perform with any music artist, Alive or Dead, who would you choose? And why? 
Dead: Mac Miller. It would be STELLAR. 
Alive: Sting. It’s very personal and I don’t even know where to begin with. In my absolute humble opinion Sting is one of the greatest songwriters and musician of all times.

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Do you have any long-term aspirations as a music artist? 
I sincerely hope to keep my catalogue growing over the years. Conceiving a new song is probably the most exciting thing I’ve ever experienced in this life – sometimes it simply comes to you and others you really have to work for it leaving a very fine line between frustration and joy.

What is the best thing about performing to a live audience? What’s been the career highlight so far?
Two things: your true self comes out. There’s nowhere to hide and you truly learn about yourself. The second and the most humbling one; the minute you hear people singing the lyrics to your song is the minute you lose it. In a good way. Nothing can ever top this up. Is ought to be one of the most beautiful experiences in life. Your words now belong to them. They have a multitude of meanings and feelings and yet we’re all connected in that very moment.
Back in 2018 I played at the iconic Heaven Nightclub Venue in London. The acoustics over there were INSANE and the connection with the audience and the music was on another level.

Finally, a few questions for some quick answers –
FAVOURITE:
Album – Californication – Red Hot Chili Peppers
Artist – Mac Miller
Movie – Big Fish
Place to visit – Malibu, California
Venue to play – Koko’s London
Food – Chipotle’s burrito
Drink – Espresso
Person in History – Matthew McConaughey
Tattoo – Got 2. A spade on the back of my arm and a rose on my ribs.

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Follow PEDRO SAMP
Facebook – Instagram

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AMNPLIFY – DB