Singer-songwriter Sam Branson, professionally known as Waves Rush In, may have had a late start in the music industry, but he’s certainly making a splash. Drawing inspiration from his personal experiences and emotions, as well as social causes and environmental awareness, he tells stories that are both personal and universal — and always with a powerful meaning. Listeners were first introduced to the artist and his mesh of soul, pop, and soft rock in 2021, and in the past two years, a lot has changed. Following his debut EP, “Seasons Change”, and follow-up project, “Hearts Are Home”, today he released Under The Static, his debut album.

Written and recorded during his late thirties, it is a beautiful patchwork of the highs and lows of life. Introspective and exciting, the songs cover everything from passion and adventure to love and loss. Joining lead singles “7 Billion” and “Watch You Glow”, the artist’s own favourite track, “The Man That I Am”, and the most recent release, “Simple Things”, the eight additional tracks complete Branson’s story. Authentic, vulnerable, and captivating, he captures hearts and sparks self-contemplation and growth.

In addition to his music career, Sam focuses on conservation. 5% of profits from all his merchandise is donated to Planetary Guardians, an environmental charity.

We had the opportunity to speak with Sam Branson about Waves Rush In, his debut album, favourite track, and activism work.

Stream Under The Static…

Read the interview…

How are you? What are you up to right now?
I’m very well thank you. It’s an exciting time launching my debut album, Under The Static, off the back of my previous two EP’s and giving fans a full body of new work to listen to and enjoy. I’m also enjoying rehearsing for some live shows I’ll be playing in the summer and making my songs sound as tight as possible for my return to the stage.

How are you preparing for the release of your debut album?
I’m a serial creative and am already writing more and planning what’s coming next. I’m reminding myself to take a beat and enjoy this exciting moment in my life, as releasing your debut album is truly something special. But my real joy comes from creating, so the way I’m celebrating the launch of this album is to actually plan the next one.

Can you talk a little about how you got to this point? When did you start creating music?

It took me 30 years to pluck up the courage to pursue music professionally, but I’ve always loved music, and was your stereotypical campfire guitarist for most of my 20’s, who played “Wonderwall” on repeat. Yet the inner calling to become a songwriter never went away. I’ve always thought the art form is pure magic and I knew if I didn’t have the courage to follow my passion for music it would be a lifelong regret. I also felt, how can I ever encourage my children to follow their passions if I don’t have the courage to follow my own.

How would you describe your sound?
Firstly the name Waves Rush In reflects the waves of life. Whether waves of light, waves of sound, waves of the ocean or waves of emotion. It encapsulates my love of surfing and nature and my sound is a mixture of soul, pop and mellow rock.

What influences — musical or other — inspired you while creating this project?
My influences range from musicians across all genres, but I think the ones that have stood out the most include Oasis, because they were such a fundamental part of my childhood growing up. I also take inspiration from both Coldplay and Jack Johnson, as they were big characters in my most informative younger years. Equally, soul artists like Nina Simone, Sam Cooke and Ray Charles have also had an influence on my writing and storytelling. And nature and our part in it is one of my biggest muses.

What themes are present / what are you hoping to say through the album?
So many things. The narratives across the album range from love and yearning, to personal growth and the pandemic. Whatever the story, the album is one of hope and my intention with it is to take people on a journey and leave them feeling warmer and more inspired about their life. In this day and age, people have shorter attention spans and so I hope people will be inspired to listen to the album in its entirety in one sitting, the way it was intended.

You’ve said that your favourite track from the album is “The Man That I Am.” Can you explain what this song means to you?

As a listener, it’s the song that I get most excited about as it adds a different energy to the entire album. To sing it, it sits in a very sweet spot for my voice. Some of the other songs are harder to sing, so I always really enjoy this one as I can really let everything go and tap into the emotion of the song.

I’ve always taken inspiration from life experiences and personal growth to create powerful and meaningful pieces of music. In turn, this demonstrates my ability to go there as an artist and just express raw truth.

It was originally inspired by the idea of a man in a difficult relationship, but when I sing it, I bring the emotion of how I felt as a young man and the frustration I felt with people having preconceived perceptions of what I would be like before they met me.

How did you start working with Planetary Guardians and why is this charity important to you?
I do some work with Virgin Unite, which is an amazing organisation that has set up some incredible global leadership initiatives, from the Carbon war room to the elders and the B Team. Planetary Guardians is another of those and one that I’m incredibly passionate about.

It’s based on Johan Rockstrom’s work around the planetary boundaries we must keep within to have a safe and healthy operating system for earth. It’s the overarching big picture map for keeping earth healthy. The initiative will measure where we are at the boundaries yearly and use its guardians (respected leaders from across the world) to leverage governments, business and the public to make sure we are putting our attention where it is needed most.

If you want to learn more about the boundaries, watch Breaking Boundaries narrated by Sir David Attenborough.

Do you have a career highlight thus far?
I’ve had so many magic moments already, but a stand out moment is having one of my songs chosen as record of the week on the radio. Hearing your own song on the radio is like nothing else I’ve experienced so far as it takes your music to a whole other level. You truck along, working hard and trying to make stuff happen but when your songs are on the radio, it takes on a life of its own and it’s an encouraging stamp of approval from people who play songs for a living.

What is next for you?
Keep honing my craft, write more great songs and touch as many peoples lives with them as possible. I also have a couple of small live shows lined up this summer and I’m excited for new people to hear my music.

Hopefully, this will achieve more radio plays and, in turn, see more people wearing and loving the awesome Waves merchandise line that we’ve developed to give back to the environment, with parts of the returns going to the great work being done by Planetary Guardians.

Waves Rush In’s debut album, Under The Static, is out now.