If you haven’t heard of Britain’s newest pop princess, Samira, you will certainly be seeing her name everywhere in no time. The South London singer-songwriter has only been releasing music for a year now, but is already finding her niche in the dance-pop sphere. Breaking into the scene with a cover of Shanice’s 90s hit “I Love Your Smile”, produced and performed in collaboration with dance collective W.D.C., she released her debut solo single just this year.
Titled “Like This, Like That”, the catchy, sultry, edgy, and fresh track established a bit of what we could expect from her sound moving forward — though she’s continuously surprising us. Consistently expanding and taking the dancefloor by storm, she has absolutely stunned with her most recent release, “Envy Me”. The summer anthem perfectly pairs deep emotion with an infectious beat.
Empowerment runs throughout as she sings about being in a better place after a toxic relationship and subsequent break-up, and it is hard not to feel the complex inner workings of her mind as she balances the confidence in being better off with the care she still has for the other person. A dynamic and stellar single, it further solidifies Samira’s genius — and makes us eager for more of it.
We had the opportunity to hear from Samira about falling in love with music, gravitating towards a tears-on-the-dancefloor sound, and relaxing into her budding career.
Stream “Envy Me”…
Read the interview…
Hey! How are you? What does a day in the life look like for you right now?
Hey, I’m so good right now! A day in the life really varies for me. I might be at a studio session, writing and recording. I might be doing promo and press for a release or out shooting content for socials. I spend a LOT of time editing content which I think most artists can relate to in 2023. But in the evening I always carve out some time to sit at my piano and create something before bed.
Tell us how you first fell in love with music and how you found your sound.
When I was younger, I was surrounded by so many different types of music because my parents loved it all — a bit of rock, punk, soul, jazz, pop, R&B….I was lucky enough to be exposed to the music of so many amazing artists, and very early on I fell in love with lyrics and how they could make you feel. For me, music is escapism. It’s something that you can lose yourself in and really centre your mind. In terms of finding my sound, it’s taken some work. I initially trained in musical theatre, and in that environment you have to adapt your voice and style for whatever role you’re playing. But being an artist is the exact opposite – you have to be distinctive whilst being authentically you. I really love clubbing and dance music, so that just seemed like an obvious fit for me, and luckily it’s where my vocal really shines.
Who has inspired you both professionally and personally throughout your career?
Like a lot of people, my biggest inspiration are my parents. They are my number one fans – my dad is always pushing me to reach my goals and never give up and my mum’s moral compass and wisdom is invaluable. Musically, I adore Freddie Mercury, Michael Jackson, Rihanna, Britney Spears – the icons. And I’m inspired stylistically by a lot of the dance music that came out of the 90’s – those female vocalists like Crystal Waters, Robin S, CeCe Peniston etc. that really paved the way for artists like me.
Congratulations on the success of your latest single “Envy Me”. Can you share with us the inspiration behind the song and how it came to life?
Thank you! I’m so glad it’s finally out. I was in a toxic relationship for many years, and it was really important to me to write something like “Envy Me”; to show the world that not everyone’s life is perfect, and that those situations are universal. Pretty much everyone can relate to that scenario. For me, it’s important to be honest in my writing, and for people to get an insight into my life. I always want to ensure that whoever is listening to my music is feeling what I’m saying and can almost place themselves in the situation I’m writing about. Even when I’m writing dance music, I always tend to veer towards super sad lyrics. I really like that whole ‘tears on the dancefloor’ kinda vibe.
“Envy Me” touches on themes of self-worth and leaving a toxic situation. How important is it for you to convey empowering messages through your music?
For me, it’s more about writing authentically about my experiences and what I’m going through – and then hoping that other people can relate to that. Sometimes that’s done quite tongue in cheek – like on my last single “That’s Not What My Friends Say” – and sometimes it’s a little heavier lyrically, like on this latest track. But I definitely veer towards writing lyrics that actually say something, even when the beat or the production is making you want to dance.
You’ve been rapidly rising in the music industry and gaining popularity. How do you stay grounded?
I’ve done so many amazing things professionally, but luckily I’ve always had fantastic parents and family around me that have kept me grounded and in check with myself. I’m just so grateful to be where I am, but there’s also just so much to work towards – looking at the things I haven’t achieved yet, that also keeps me grounded and focussed on what I need to do.
We’ve seen your musical style evolve from your single “I Love Your Smile” to “Envy Me”. How have you grown as an artist compared to your earlier days?
In the early stages of my music career, I was maybe a little shy and nervous in sessions. I’d find it hard to vocalise what I wanted and what I felt was right for the song. But as time has gone by, I’ve become so confident in my sound and my writing and what I want my songs to be like. And it’s like any profession – the more you do it, the more experienced you become and the more you relax into the job in hand.
Can you tell us about the creative process of collaborating with Daniel Schulz on “Envy Me”, and what it was like working together?
Daniel is a really close friend of mine, and he’s such a great artist and songwriter. We’ve written together previously (on my first solo single “Like This, Like That”), and he knows me extremely well so he was the perfect partner to write something so vulnerable with. He knows my relationship history and some of those toxic ins and outs so it all felt very natural. It’s always great to be in a session like that, where everyone feels comfortable to talk candidly about their experiences and can be vulnerable and open.
Your music has strong elements of dance sounds. What draws you to this genre?
I love clubbing – you’d often find me at Printworks before it closed, and I try to get out to Ibiza as much as I can. Being a dancer first and foremost, I just really love music that makes you want to move. As my career progresses, that performance element is going to become more and more important, so it’s really vital to have a sound where I can envision the music video or live performance and there’s just pure dancing and chaos. Even when the lyrics are sad like mine, a dose of dance music can really set you up for the day. I just love the euphoria of it.
Can you give us a sneak peek into any upcoming projects or collaborations we can look forward to in the future?
There’s a collaboration coming next, but unfortunately I can’t say anything about that yet! But I love the track so much – that should come late August/early September. And then we’re currently finishing up a bunch of tracks for what should hopefully round out a debut EP or mixtape type thing that’ll come before the year is out. And I’m really looking forward to performing – dance is such an important aspect of what I do, so we’ll hopefully start playing some live shows soon, and I’d love to get some festivals booked in for next year.