Photo Credit: Daniel Andres Dorta Pacheco

Everyone with a certain passion for music knows the difference between hearing a song for the first time and hearing a song for the first time. It’s the moment when life shifts, the stars align, and your ears start to take on a whole new life. For Sam Louis, he was just an adolescent surrounded by family when one of the most prolific bands of the ‘90s entered his world and changed the course of his existence. We talked not only about that moment right off the bat, but how far he’s come since – and where’s he plans on heading with “This Love” and beyond.

Kendra: Is there a song, album, or a music video, in particular, you can think back as getting you interested in music as something you wanted to do with your life?

Sam Louis: So many artists and bands have inspired me over the years, from Fall Out Boy to The 1975, Michael Jackson to N’SYNC.

There is one moment that really lit the fire though. When I was about 12, my older cousins would always be watching Much Music and MTV at our family parties. One time I saw an episode of the old MTV show Becoming, where everyday people got to recreate a bands music video. This episode featured the Red Hot Chilli Peppers track “Give it Away.” The energy behind the song and music video was so electric and mesmerizing to me, it got me hooked not only on the Peps but on the music process. I knew I had to be apart of the music movement from then on.

Kendra: How has the Toronto music scene been treating you? Is it as competitive a market as say NYC or LA?

Sam Louis: The Toronto music scene is one of the most up and coming, diversely talented, and supportive communities. After playing a few shows in Los Angeles and having friends gig in NYC, I’ve come to appreciate the city’s individuality and respect for musicianship. Every music scene has to entice competition but Toronto’s environment definitely feels more inclusive rather than exclusive.

Kendra: Your current single, “This Love,” is about a type of relationship everyone will experience at least once in their lifetime. Where it’s clearly not working even though there’s a sense of love still there. You’ve said this was based on one relationship in particular. With that, do you feel you’d ever find yourself in the same situation again?

Sam Louis: I think everyone can relate to the radical emotions of love, they can be volatile but they can also feel all too simple at times. These extremes can come with every relationship. I think it is possible to wind up in the same spot as you were, as we will always compare ourselves to similar past relationship situations. But this time if we let our old experiences teach us how to move forward, the outcome can hopefully be different .

Kendra: Working with producer Shayan Amiri on this track, you said he pushed you to a vulnerable place. That made me think of people saying the same thing about their therapists. Would you say producers, in a way, are like musical therapists?

Sam Louis: I like that comparison, producers can definitely share some parallels with therapists. It all depends on how connected the producer is to the artist/music. That connection between producer and artist can make or break a single/album. Music needs to be vulnerable to be relatable and you want a producer who makes you feel comfortable yet puts you in uncomfortable positions. This scenario exactly mimics how a therapist gets the best results from their patient.

Kendra: Will we soon find “This Love” on a record or will you be releasing more singles?

Sam Louis: “This Love” is more a prequel of what’s coming. This past summer and fall have been dedicated to writing and designing a whole new arena of music. I feel like we’ve finally found our rhythm with these new songs and I can’t wait to get them out there.

A second single is already on the way and will be released in the new year. Both tracks will be featured on a new EP that will be released Summer 2020. This record will be more personal and emotional than my last. It’s going to take a few pop/hip hop notes from my first album Daydream and slam them together with the alt-rock energy of my last EP Hallelujah Nights. Half of the tracks will lean more to the emotional, introspective side while the other will feature songs that are all about groove and feeling.

Kendra: Which goes along with the last question here, what’s coming up for you as we head out of 2019 and into 2020?

Sam Louis: 2020 is going to be a year of movement for us. We want to create this next record with all the right influences, I feel like our music has been moving towards this point for a while now and I’m excited to get there. You can expect the second single as well as a new music video before the summer record drops. 2020 will also usher in our first full Canadian Tour for the EP and you can expect a whole new live show experience with that.