Taking the concept of transformation Thursday to a new height is I Used To Be Sam, releasing a haunting and hypnotic music video to coincide with the drop of her single, “Gentle”. Formerly known as the acclaimed singer, songwriter and recording artist Annie Goodchild, the single marks the first release from her upcoming EP, as well as the first drop under her new creative moniker.

After an ancestry DNA test revealed her pre-adoption name was Samantha, the singer embraced her name, delving into her music as a means to communicate and unite others. As such, the track rings as a love letter to the journey which brought her from Samantha to Annie. Both an immersive cinematic production of the artists left-field pop, and a heart-warming narrative for other transracial adoptees, the video represents the pinnacle of I Used To Be Sam’s craft for story telling with a melodic pulse.

The visual spans multiple frames of up-close headshots of the artist, reflecting her new-found personal take on her sultry sound. Though at times a representation of distress, the track is filled with voices of her fellow transracial adoptees, building ton an emotive display of the falling apart that’s necessary to truly take a new form.

Talking with her producer, Annie reflected on her attempt to reconnect with her birth mother, which ultimately ended in rejection. At the time, the artist felt like “I was her dirty secret and a mark of shame”. Elaborating on how the experience transpired into the EP, she says “At that moment the name I Used to Be Sam came to me. This is the music I need to be writing. I came home and everything shifted. I can’t make Annie Goodchild music anymore, because Annie was who I had to be to get to this point. Now I need to start making movement.”

The single “Gentle” acts as a preview for what is to come from I Used To Be Sam’s eponymous 5-track debut EP. To stream the new music video, head below…