I Used To Be Sam

Internationally acclaimed singer, songwriter and vocal powerhouse I Used To Be Sam (previously known as Annie Goodchild) announces the release of their highly anticipated self-titled debut EP under their new creative moniker, out everywhere on 16 September.

Before Annie Goodchild, there used to be Sam. This realisation marks the starting point for the release of the artist's most personal and impressive work to date. I Used To Be Sam steps into a complex journey of transracial adoption and self-discovery on their new EP - an explorative new collection of deeply personal, cinematic, left-field pop, all wrapped up in the singer's distinctively illustrious voice.

NEO: We’re so glad to have you featured in Neo. So first question; Where did your artist name ’I Used To Be Sam’ come from?

I USED TO BE SAM: Hi Neo Music, thanks for having me and thank you for asking. I am a transracial adoptee (TRA). Being an adopted person has always been a really big part of my identity, and a couple of years ago I took one of those DNA tests. I ended up finding some birth family who confirmed that my birth name was Samantha, and had my name not been changed when I was adopted, I'd like to think I’d go by Sam. So the name and project “ I Used To Be Sam” is really a way of honouring and acknowledging the first person I was.

NEO: Congratulations on your upcoming self-titled EP release ! Could you tell us a little bit about it?

I USED TO BE SAM: After getting those DNA results I had some really beautiful moments of reconciliation, but I was also met with some really hurtful re-rejection - mainly from my birth mother. This hurt was the catalyst for the whole project. Although it was, and still is, really hard, this pain also created movement in a part of me that had been stagnant for a long time. I knew I couldn’t just hold everything I was feeling inside, so I wrote it all down. Each of the five songs on the EP is about a different experience, or set off emotions I initially had when going through this process. So, although this is my story of adoption, loss and sense of self, the EP really deals with more universal themes of rejection, love, family, and one's own journey to discover themselves.

NEO: Who or what inspired you to make music?

I USED TO BE SAM: I don’t think I can remember a time where music wasn’t an inspiration to me. I was lucky enough to have a piano in the house growing up and I would just sit there for hours picking out little melodies and chords. I would line up my stuffed animals in a row and sing to them, hairbrush microphone and all. So, really, music has always been a way for me to make sense of things and express myself... I think in a similar way to a journal. There have always also been artists that have been the soundtrack to my life. I grew up listening to the great female vocalists, and while writing this EP, Max Richter, James Blake, the Breath and AMYRA were hugely inspiring.

NEO: Give us 3 things on your bucket list?

I USED TO BE SAM: Playing with an orchestra, performing with a large choir, and going to Puerto Rico

NEO: How do you define success as an artist?

I USED TO BE SAM: The music industry is brutal, and how it defines success can be manipulative and addicting, but at least for me, it’s a totally destructive force against creating. I would describe success as making whatever it is you do outside of others expectations (because you love it), collaborating with other humans who creatively get you off and who push you to be better, and to truly have respect and confidence in what you do. Because you are the thing that makes it special.

NEO: If a millionaire decided to fund all your expenses on a one week trip to anywhere, where would you go and what would you do?

I USED TO BE SAM:I’d go to Puerto Rico, meet my family, find a beautiful studio in the middle of nowhere and just write music. If a lazy river, something coconut flavoured, and my friends were included in that, then even better.

NEO: What song would you use as the theme song for your life currently?

I USED TO BE SAM: Ooh that's such a hard question. I feel like I’m living on a rainbow of emotions everyday, so probably a medley of these three songs: “On the Nature of Daylight”, “ Make Me Lovely,” and “Tàrtaro.”

NEO:If your friends were to describe you in 3 words, what would they be?

I USED TO BE SAM: Loyal, faraway, and funny

NEO: When experiencing a creative block, what do you do to combat it?

I USED TO BE SAM: I try not to let that feeling build up much. So, to combat it, I just live some life, or watch/listen/experience another artist's work. This can be so inspiring and bring an ease back into the creative process.

NEO:Out of all the songs on your upcoming EP, which one means the most to you?

I USED TO BE SAM: That's a really hard question, each song really speaks to me in a different way, but I will say that when I was recording the chorus to “Seamstress,” the only song directed towards my birth mother, it felt like a really special moment.

NEO:Finally, let us know where to find you, on your social media!

I USED TO BE SAM: I’m @iusedtobesam on everything. Come say hi. X

Check Out I Used To Be Sam's Debut Self - Titled EP at this link: https://open.spotify.com/album/47fSWyIvgwjPw5ZvaYfCpc?si=gDwP704VSLCgo9LMZ_JXhw