Samm Henshaw breaks the top 5 tracks that helped him grow as an artist

British-Nigerian R&B/Soul singer Samm Henshaw is on a golden run of singles, teasing his highly anticipated debut album, 'Untidy Soul' scheduled for release some time later this year. Henshaw's musical awakening come in the form of gospel music, writing songs for his local church from the age of 15. Since then, he's quoted, Marvin Gaye, Kirk Franklin and Lauryn Hill as some of his earliest and most potent inspirations, and the music lives up to those massive names. His highly talented musical abilities are showcased none better by his most recently released single, 'Grow'.

The track is jammed to the brim with optimism and positivity via its stunning arrangement. Glowing string sections, stunning vocal layering and soulful chords all wrap around the tracks sentiment and ethos perfectly. That being, an introspective examination of happiness and achieving personal fulfilment and growth. alongside the release is the second instalment of his Untidy Soul series, a music video turned love story directed by Jim Pilling.

Reflecting on the single, Henshaw expresses, "Grow is just a song about understanding that the hard parts of a relationship (any relationship) are necessary for growth & strength and that we shouldn’t give up at the first sign of trouble."

In light of the title of his most recent single, we chat to Samm Henshaw about the tracks that most significantly helped him grow as an artist and individual.

Jonathan McReynolds - Make Room

This song is a must have for me, it encouraged me in my faith to learn how to make time to spend with God. This was crucial to my growth as taking time for yourself is key to creating a peaceful life.

PJ Morton - Claustrophobic

This song, felt like it was written for me, it was exactly what i was going through at the time, so hearing another artist talk about his experience was so helpful to me, it made me realise i wasn’t the only one going through this.

Peter Cottontale - Do Your Thing

I met Peter on the Chance The Rapper tour, he’s a lovely soul and this song really felt like an extension of his character, it reminded me that life is amazing and there are so many things to appreciate.

Kojey Radical - Can’t Go Back

Kojey is a friend of mine and knowing him personally meant that this record in particular felt real close to home, it was about a friend of his that passed and how he’s bouncing back from it. I too went through something similar and this song just encouraged me to push through, please give this a listen its essential listening!

Tyler, the Creator - Lemonhead

There’s something about this song man, just feels like what turning up constantly would be. Usually a lot of the music I write doesn’t always have high energy but this the energy in this record inspired me to write some upbeat records.

Words by PARRY TRITSINIOTIS

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