Sam Handy Talks Post Pandemic Resilience With ‘Done’

UK Based singer/songwriter, Sam Handy joins us to talk all about his latest single release, ‘Done’.

Sam Handy, working with musicians, Ted Hayes, on Piano and Keys and Allan Penford, on Bass, has created a sound born out of a background that combined American dance music and rock and his current sound has been influence by the likes of Bruno Mars, John Mayer and D’Angelo.

If you have travelled around the south of the UK, you may have captured Sam performing at a renowned venue such as Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, the Half Moon and Spice of Life.

Sam Handy’s latest track, ‘Done’, was produced by Ed Stokes and artwork designed by Kay Alipour.

“‘Done’ is a resounding middle-finger to toxic relationships and selfish individuals. After standing by someone, and making allowances for their faults, and supporting them unconditionally. But it’s not enough, and that individual was never interested in what was best for either of you from the start. This song is about moving on, and being more resilient.”

Listening to the track, you will be encapsulated by the warm tones of Sam’s vocals and combined with the neo-soul sounding instrumentation and rhythmic beat of the song, the atmosphere will sweep you away into a world filled with the polarity of attitude combined with the resilience found in self growth.

You can listen to ‘Done’ below:

Tell us a little about who Sam Handy is in everyday life.

I’m currently a bartender at a restaurant near Henley-on-Thames.

I write music most days, and I write songs for others as a freelancer.

I love motorcycles and travelling, coffee and fine spirits, a good read or a long film.

I work alongside a function band as a lead guitarist and vocalist, performing anything from Marvin Gaye to Dua Lipa, at weddings or cheese and wine nights.

What was it that first got you into music?

I always had an interest in music.

The very first artists I remember listening to were Whitney Houston and Dire Straits on the CD player in my parent’s car.

I wanted to learn guitar shortly after hearing ‘Sultans of Swing’.

When I later got myself involved in music at secondary school, a lot of my friends were musicians and songwriters.

Being surrounded by such passion all the time inspired me to be a musician too, and so I learned how to sing, taught myself to write music and to perform on stage, so I could do it with my friends.

How would you describe the feel of your music?

This is a question I always struggle with!

I believe lately, I’ve come to realise that I love writing pop tunes of a contemporary nature – why change what isn’t broken? I find that my style, or genre, is borrowed from so many different influences.

I hear a tune from either 1990, 2003, or 2021 and I say ‘I want to write something like that’, because why not?

A lot of my music remains humble and soulful, and I have artists such as Tom Misch and John Mayer to thank for that, but myself as an artist remains the same. My goal has always been to write music that tells a relatable story.

My sound and style may change over time, but my music should still feel like me. Just like a painter, you can paint
something new, but you’ll see the same strokes and signatures on each canvas.

You’ll turn on a song and know ‘that’s Sam Handy’, hopefully one day!

You have released your new single, ‘Done’.. tell us a little about how this song came about.

I wrote ‘Done’ over a year ago now.

The first UK Lockdown was finally lifted in 2020 and the Summer had started.

I grew attached to a certain person, but they didn’t think the same of me, yet led me to believe they did.

I felt betrayed and discarded.

I was messing around with a few chords at home when I came up with the line ‘you never gave a f**k about us’ which is on the track, and I spent the next couple hours harmonising it.

After that it was just a blur of creative inspiration, and banging my head against a desk.

What does ‘Done’ mean to you?

‘Done’ is a resounding middle-finger to toxic relationships and people.

This song is about moving on, and being more resilient.

I love the laid back tones, but with the serious attitude.

That ‘back off’ message without a lot of the hostility.

I had a means to funnel a lot of disappointment which was flowing through me at the time, and it was through this sound I could communicate it.

It felt healthier and easier to get over this chapter of my life, instead of bottling it up and drinking it away.

In your eyes, what does it mean to be resilient?

I believe resilience is something we learn in life.

Growing up for me, it has always been described as ‘thick skin’, but I see it as more than that.

It is to not let your circumstance control you.

It is to ask for help when you need it.

You learn from it and be better for it, but must never wear it and let it drive your ego.

We’re allowed to feel weakness and loss, but from it we shouldn’t breed hatred or resentment, life’s too short for all that – hence resilience.

What is your creative process like, when you are creating your music?

I usually pick up a guitar first.

I go through different chord progressions until something clicks.

I then spend hours staring into a corner of the room, humming and singing random lines, until I understand the direction in which the song wants to go in and then I start piecing it all together.

Has there been anything along the releasing process that you would do differently next time?

I’d like to have more teams involved.

Anyone from a PR agency, blogger, radio host or fellow artist.

I need to sit down and do more research into who shares my sound, and who shows interest in it.

Understand who they’re talking to and why, as well as pitching my songs more often.

Having that little added confidence.

What would success in your music look like to you?

Success in my music would come in the form of sustainable income.

Where it becomes a job I can solely rely on, and focus on, without the need to work in any industry I do not desire to be in.

I’m not after fame or fortune, simply the ability to use my talent and knowledge to pay rent.

Is there any message that you would like to share with your audience?

Support your favourite artists!

You don’t have to buy merchandise, but you can simply ‘like’ a post or share it, and more importantly SAVE it.

Costs nothing, but it means everything to a growing artist.

Nothing worse than spending months on a project for no one to notice it.

And just because they’re not successful on social media doesn’t mean their music, or art, isn’t any good.

Where can people go to find your music?

My music is available everywhere.

You can find out a lot more on my website samhandy.com or simply plug my name into Spotify or Apple Music, whichever is your fave!