aaamusic | On 28, Feb 2017

Who are you and where are you from?

My name is Samantha Preis. I’m an American singer-songwriter. I was born in Connecticut, USA and am currently back and forth between CT, NYC, and England.

What inspired you to get into music?

I grew up in a very musical family so there was always music playing in my house. My father is also a blues guitarist. As a kid, I was inspired by a lot of the music from the 60s and 70s such as Joni Mitchell, the Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Burt Bacharach, Jobim, Neil Young, etc. I also love Michael Hedges, Frank Sinatra, a lot of jazz piano and guitar such as Bill Evans, Ahmad Jamal, Oscar Peterson, Django Reinhardt, etc. I adore classical impressionists such as Debussy, Satie, and Ravel.

What have you done?

I released my first album Good News in 2013. It was quite a learning experience and am very proud of the hard work that went into producing it. Since then, I have released two singles and a music video. I’m currently working on new music projects in Bridgeport, Connecticut at Sure Sound Studios with AJ Sorensen & T.O.N.E-z. In addition, this past year I spend several months performing and recording in York and London, England and had the time of my life. England holds a very special place in my heart and I seem to always find inspiration there.

What are you like live?

I prefer to play smaller venues, listening-room type venues where I feel like the audience can really connect and share something sacred. My favourite venues I have performed thus far have been these types of spaces. Some of my favourites have been: The Golden Ball (York, England), Cafe Universel (Paris, France) and Caffe Vivaldi (New York, New York).

What makes you different?

You’ll have to ask my fans ;) I don’t know what makes me unique. Maybe everyone is unique in their own way. I do know that when I write music it is for myself. If people happen to enjoy it, great. Music is therapy for me. It is an outlet to express myself in my most vulnerable moments. I go long through periods of time where I don’t want to play at all and others where I can stop and it seems to flow out of me effortlessly. I don’t feel pressure to churn out new material constantly. I only want to put out the most honest material that I fully believe in.

Physical vs Downloading vs Streaming…How do you listen to music?

I think there is something cool about owning a physical copy of the music you love. If I really love an artist, I’ll buy their CD. However, because I’m always on the go I tend to listen to music I’ve uploaded onto my iPod or computer. I haven’t been in one place long enough to make use of a record player but would love to in a few years when I’m not traveling so much. There’s a romance about vinyl that I just love… similar to reading an actual book versus having a Kindle. I do occasionally go to YouTube, Pandora, or Spotify.

What have you been listening to?

ArtScience by Robert Glasper, Kings of Convenience (their entire collection) and Amy Winehouse.

What are your aspirations for the future?

Currently, I am working on several new tracks and a music video at Sure Sound studios in Bridgeport, Connecticut as well as a new product (related to music – can’t release too much information about it yet but I’m very excited to share it with the public very soon!) I hope to travel to the UK and Europe again later this year for some recording projects and performances. The future is bright!

Questions answered by: Samantha Preis…