7 Questions with El Sam - ElixirPRODs
We sat down with El Sam in his flat and asked him about his new album “50 Baker Street”
El Sam, First of all, tell us about you, where you are from, and what started your music journey?
“I would say I am an Alternative-Indie singer-songwriter and producer. I live in England, in a city called Birmingham. Music for me started when I was 15, I had just left Syria after the unfortunate events that started in 2011. My family sent me back to my motherland, England, where I was born. I really just started messing around with Karaoke apps on my phone, pretending to know how to sing - it was awful - and randomly starting singing at my music club once a week during my GSCEs at college. I ended up being offered a place in the music diploma course and thought “Maybe I have it”. Open mic nights started it all really, it was fun. Then I met a producer who liked me, and came to see me regularly and started recording. I learnt so much from him, though things didn’t end well, we went our separate ways musically, I continued teaching myself production and produced my first album “Elixir”.
How would you describe the music that you typically create?
Chaotic, all dependant on the mood I’m in. I could create a club track and add the most hideous vocals on and it will sound good, and I can create a sad, depressing song and be pleased with that. There is no typical music that I create, what I put out however, is mostly indie-pop, especially my recent work.
What is your creative process like?
Spontaneous I would say, I never sit down and plan to write and create music, it comes to me in the most random times, which is the case with most creatives. Those 2 am wake up calls where you have an idea, those are real. I always keep my phone or vocal recorder next to my bed, I wake up randomly and I have a song idea in my mind, so I record it.
If you could go open a show for any artist who would it be?
Lana Del Rey. For obvious reasons.
You have a new album, what vibe should we expect the album to be like?
"Honestly, after experimenting with all different sounds over the last few years, I've finally found what El Sam is about. The album is pretty Indie, and I emphasise on that. It's a love story of all kinds of love, to others, to yourself *long pause*. Very romantic, yet dark in a way. Symbolism is heavy in this one, you really have to hear the lyrics. You can interpret them in your own way, make your own story from them, but you'll relate to them massively"
What is your favourite song from your new album? When will it be out?
I am confident with all of them if I’m honest, for the first time I feel they all sound what they should sound like. But my absolute favourite would be “Piece of me”, I love the drums and guitar. It will be out this year, date to be confirmed…
What is the best advice you’ve been given?
Follow the steps of the people you admire the work of and see how they got to where they are now.