Australian-born singer-songwriter SAMM! is carving out a unique space in the alt-pop landscape—one built on radical honesty, emotional depth, and an unwavering commitment to authenticity. With her debut single "In My Feelings" just released last week and an EP in the vault, she's proving that vulnerability isn't a weakness, but a powerful form of connection.
"In My Feelings" represents SAMM!'s playful, confident side—a song about desire that she describes as capturing "the thrill and chaos" of wanting something and getting it. Recorded in Los Angeles and accompanied by a visually striking music video filmed in Medellín, Colombia, the track showcases her ability to blend fun, sexy energy with thoughtful artistic vision. "I wanted to make sure it was a fun song that people could vibe to," she explains, noting that recording it in less than two sessions at NRG Recording Studios, keeping it accessible rather than overly personal.
But beneath the surface-level confidence lies an artist shaped by profound loss and resilience. SAMM! lost her older brother before he even reached the age of 18, under tragic circumstances when she was just a child. Shortly after, her mother moved away, unable to cope with the grief. Raised primarily by her father and brothers in a household where affection wasn't freely expressed, SAMM! found her emotional outlet in music.
"Music has always been something that I could turn to feel something, whether to relate to something or just escape," she reflects. From childhood performances of Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and Celine Dion ballads to discovering hip-hop through her brother's collection, music became her language for understanding love, loss, and heartbreak before she experienced them firsthand.
That early heartbreak instilled in SAMM! both a deep empathy and an understanding of life's fragility. "I had to learn to understand why," she says of her brother's passing. "I had to learn to be strong from such a young age." Her brother's advice to "never be a sheep" continues to guide her—she doesn't conform to what society may tell us who to be or what to do but rather paving her own way through, truly understanding, learning, caring amongst many other traits SAMM! embodies.
This philosophy extends to her current independent status. Fresh to the music world, an unsigned artist without management, SAMM! has worked so passionately having her hand in all things creative that are attached to her as an Artist. "I'm okay with being uncomfortable to make others feel comfortable," she explains. "I'm okay to possibly be judged for what I'm saying or showing." She describes herself as "unafraid"—willing to explore themes of heartbreak, self-reflection, and strength with unflinching honesty.
Despite her confident exterior, SAMM! admits to being naturally introverted. A Lone Ranger, reflecting her comfort with solitude. "I'm usually by myself, I'm always kind of doing my own thing," she notes. But this introversion fuels her artistry, allowing her the space for deep self-reflection.
With an unreleased EP of 5 soul-touching, rabbit hole-peeking, love and heartbreak songs in the vault. SAMM! is focused on connecting with listeners who might feel similarly isolated. Her greatest fear isn't failure—it's reaching the end of her life and asking "what if." "If I can be kind of a voice to people who are afraid to speak up," she says, "that is where it stems from—wanting to be able to know that you aren't alone."
For SAMM!, success isn't measured by fame, but in genuine human connection. "If there's one, two, three people that can relate to that, where I made them feel less lonely, that would mean more to me than anything." It's this authentic approach that positions her as an artist to watch—someone unafraid to bring her whole self to the music, imperfections and all.
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ON THE RISE
Blossoms caught up with NME to discuss competing with The Beatles and Johnny Marr for this week’s Number One album. With ‘Songs From The Wedding Cake’ in the running, the band also explained why making things themselves remains such an important part of their work as AI becomes more common.
The Stockport group put out their sixth album last Friday, October 2. By the midweek update, it was sitting at Number Two, between The Beatles’ expanded edition of ‘Rubber Soul’ and Johnny Marr’s latest solo album, ‘The Age Of Everything’.
“It’s mad, to be honest,” singer Tom Ogden said to NME about the chart race. “Liverpool on one side, Manchester on the other and Stockport in the middle. If you’d told us this 10 years ago, when we were releasing our debut, I wouldn’t have believed you. But I mean, we’re in good company aren’t we?”
Discussing the stories behind the album, Ogden described ‘Songs From The Wedding Cake’ as “about being married and all the everyday stuff that comes with it”. He married Katie Donovan, the sister of Blossoms drummer Joe, in 2021. Married life has since given him a new appreciation for what he describes as “the extraordinary ordinary”.
“Saying the wrong thing in an argument, losing your wife’s no claims bonus, crying at the Kardashians, it’s all in there,” he explained. “The album is named after Stockport Town Hall, which everyone round where we live calls the Wedding Cake, and it’s where I got married, so it couldn’t be much closer to home.
“The last album [‘Gary’, 2024] had a song about a stolen fibreglass gorilla, which everyone loved, and that gave us the confidence to bring the same playfulness to this one, just with more personal subject matter this time.”
Alongside tracks that came out of writing sessions with Declan McKenna in a hot tub, the album reflects the band’s desire to stay involved in every part of the creative process.
“It started with the recording,” Ogden explained. “We made the album with Shawn Lee, playing live straight to tape, and once you’ve done it that way you can’t really go and fake everything else. We sat down as a band and picked the colour palette, and everything visual followed from that. We had body scans taken of ourselves and cake toppers of the five of us 3D printed, put them on a real cake and photographed it. I’ve directed and edited the videos, and the sets are all built by hand, no green screen. For the pop-up shop on launch weekend, a local artist hand-painted the album cover for the sign outside.
“It’s more work, but you end up with a world that’s yours, and I think people can tell when a band’s had its hands on everything.”
With AI tools and digital effects becoming increasingly widespread, that approach feels particularly relevant. For Blossoms, though, the motivation is simple: “the fun is in the making”.
“Tape doesn’t let you cheat and neither does a real cake,” Ogden said. “If a set’s a bit wonky, it’s because one of us or our mates built it. I think the more stuff gets generated, the more people want to know a human being actually did it. We’ve been in this band together for over 10 years, five lads from Stockport, and that isn’t something you can ‘prompt’.”
Maya Jama also appeared in the video for the album’s first single, ‘Meet Me In Love’. Her appearance came shortly before the UK launch of Celebrity Traitors, where she took on the role of a traitor alongside a cast that included Richard E Grant and James Acaster.
“She was brilliant,” Ogden recalled of working with Jama. “We’d met her at the MTV EMAs in Manchester a couple of years ago, so we took a chance and sent her a DM …and she said yes. Next thing she’s in a theatre in Cheadle miming my vocals while a load of people dressed as me serenade her. She got the idea straight away and was a proper laugh about it.”
The conversation then turned to whether he thought Jama could take home the win on Celebrity Traitors.
Ogden joked: “As for Traitors, she spent a whole day pretending to sing my song and I almost believed her, so I’d say she’s got every chance.”
Fans can listen to ‘Songs From The Wedding Cake’ now. In November, Blossoms head out on a UK arena tour with The Royston Club. Tickets and further details are available here.
Before the tour begins, the group is also scheduled to appear on SNL UK on Saturday, October 24.
