Singer/Songwriter, Sam MacPherson showcases his vulnerability and taps into his emotions with his latest single, “Perfect Conditions” – A track that many who have fallen in and out of love with can relate.
The young artist on the rise has quite the impressive discography and he’s definitely someone that if you haven’t been a fan of, you are sure to fall into the love with him just as much as we have with his latest releases. In all of his releases, he continues to out-shine himself and top each release.
Whenever you take a look at his discography, you will see just how passionate he is about his artistry and he continues to show that no matter the size of your platform, if you enjoy what you do and continue putting out music that you love, people will see that and people will hear every ounce of passion that you put into your music.
We caught up with Sam MacPherson to talk about his latest single, “Perfect Conditions”, Future music plans, and more. “Perfect Conditions” is available for streaming on all major music streaming platforms, worldwide.
PopWrapped (PW): We’ll dive into the latest single in a bit. Firstly, I want to ask you a little bit about your background. Tell us a little bit about when you started to find your love for music, when it all started publicly for you?
Sam MacPherson (SM): “I’ve always loved music as a lifelong consumer of it. I grew up in a home that was more often playing The Beatles or Stevie Wonder than it was quiet. My parents have such great taste in music that now, I am even more grateful for. My dad was also a songwriter and I’d frequently be woken up for school in the morning by him playing guitar and singing. It’s such a lovely memory from my childhood.”
PW: You’ve released quite the amount of tracks, including “Routine” which is now sitting over 3 Million streams – You have a STUNNING discography, probably one of the best discographies coming from emerging artists. With each release, how do you manage to top the last?
SM: Well I certainly don’t line up my songs across from one another in competition. It’s more like they’re all on the same team running down the field towards the same goal. My recent releases are all off of an EP that’s coming in a few months so they by nature have some shared DNA. However, I try my best to give each song a chance to not only contribute to the bigger picture, but also to have their own moment. I’ve been so lucky that people are listening to the songs I am putting out and letting them keep them company.
PW: Your lyrical abilities are, let’s be honest, there’s no other way to describe it other than – breathtaking, bone-chilling, perfection. Tell us a little bit about the writing process for you as well as how you decide that you want to go ahead and get it produced out, and completed for release.
SM: Thank you. My work flow is really all over the place and I think the only objective process I have is the process of doing everything I can to protect and nurture that type of controlled chaos. My favorite type of writing is writing that captures the beauty of disorganization. Frank Ocean is an idol of mine because of that. I also love writing from inside real moments because a lot of the time it’s an opportunity for me to invite people into spaces that would otherwise be kind of lonely. In terms of deciding on what to release, If I listen to the song and I believe it, if I can hear myself playing it to a room of people, and if the song is successful in communicating the idea I had in mind, then I’ll release it.
PW: “Perfect Conditions” – beautiful track. Take us back to when this song was just a concept. Was this concept based on person experience? You also co wrote this track with Adam Yaron, tell us a little bit about how this song came about and what the writing process was like more specifically with this track.
SM: Thank you Nick! Yeah this song came from my own experience, and really, my own ignorance surrounding falling in love. I wrote this track with Adam who is a dear friend of mine and an endlessly talented writer/producer. I brought Adam a voice memo of me singing and playing most of the chorus on piano. Life is not perfect. Humans by nature are not perfect. But I think that people hold love to a higher standard and if it’s not perfect then somehow it’s not real? Adam and I wrote around that false premise as, in my own life, I was learning how to completely ignore it. Once we had the song down, I went to Adam’s studio for a second day and we really built it out into what you hear now!
PW: How has the current global pandemic impacted your work and how have you overcome those obstacles that you’ve been faced with during this time? Did at any point did you lose motivation or feel as if you were burnt out from your passion?
SM: The pandemic was for sure a scary time to just be a human on earth. In terms of music work, I did not feel like my creativity was being stifled for most of it. There absolutely were days that were sad and lonely, but I really did enjoy spending time with my family in close quarters. I did my best to transition to zoom sessions like everyone else and really just accepted the circumstances of everything that was going on. Such a strange time in history that I don’t think we’ll be able to understand or dissect until many years down the line.
PW: On the track, you sing, “Wrong place, wrong time – made the right decisions.. we’re broken, but we’re still in perfect condition”. Do you believe that they are the RIGHT people, wrong time? I think we do our best to believe that, but do we ACTUALLY feel that way or do we settle with that to protect our heart?
SM: I guess it depends on the person. It’s tricky because there are so many situational variables involved in scenarios like that so, at least in my, brain the only thing to do is to control the things I can. I think it’s in our nature to self-preserve when we can so it can be tough making an effort to bypass all the inherent safety features we have built into our chest. However, on the other side of all of that hesitation, it’s absolutely possible there is love and relationships that are worth those moments spent being worried. I can tell you that from experience.
PW: I’ve followed your journey since your first release “Something Simple” in 2018. How would you say that you have grown as an artist since then? Personally, I feel that your overall artistry since then has shown impeccable growth. Your songwriting, your overall image, and production have all seen inspiring growth.
SM: Thank you! I have definitely grown as a person since that first release and I think that’s been mirrored into the music I am making. The journey since then has been solely geared towards writing the best songs I can. The sonic aspect is extremely important to me as well, but it’s been a focus of mine to give the shiny parts of the music a genuine concrete base to revolve around. The songwriting is always going to come first for me and I think as I have matured that’s become more and more apparent.
PW: You’ve seen a lot of success just a few years into publicly showcasing your art. Take us a long the ride – how have you felt knowing that your music (Now amassing over 3 Million streams) has finally been recognized and you’re finally being heard?
SM: It’s been really incredible and constantly inspiring. One person taking their phone out searching my name and listening to one of my songs makes this entire journey worthwhile. I feel so grateful.
PW: At PopWrapped, we cover a lot of emerging talents. I want to wrap things up on a motivational note for any artists that may read this and feel lost, or feel like they aren’t being heard. Do you have any advice you can leave us with for those artists struggling to feel like their passion isn’t being heard or valued?
SM: I think it’s important to remind yourself when you’re creating and comparing that- you have to love the music. Because if you don’t then what is the point? if the music is speaking to something inside you, I think that music has the best chance of finding a home with someone else. If you feel like you are making that music already, then put the blinders on and keep your head down. I think it’s lucky that consistency is such an important factor in achieving “success” because it also happens to be something we are fully in control of. My advice would be the seize that opportunity and take full advantage of it. Lastly, no one knows anything so have fun!!
Sam also tells us, he is looking forward to the release of his upcoming EP in the coming months. “Perfect Conditions” is out now on all major platforms, worldwide. Be sure to check out Sam MacPherson on Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram.
