Globe Hall Presents Sam Fischer on Tuesday, June 18th.
They say you get your whole life to write your first album, but it took Sam Fischer just ‘a cool 35 minutes’ to create his favourite track on it, Landslide. It came about back in 2018 at a song-writing camp in the Hollywood hills.
“It was midnight when we started this song,” says Sam. “Everyone had got on the beers. It started as a party rock type vibe but turned into this acoustic lullaby. We ended up writing the most tender love song, and it hasn’t changed at all since that day. I’m so excited for people to hear it.”
Despite having written for the likes of Demi Lovato, Keith Urban, Ciara, Cian Ducrot and Cat Burns, and finding global success with viral TikTok hit This City, Sam’s debut album, I Love You Please Don’t Hate Me, is his first extended body of work. It is a compilation of tracks he has written over his career, and the common theme is his relationship with himself – which at times has been fraught.
“The album name is a pretty good summary of what’s to come,” he explains. “It’s like, ‘I’ve been terrible to you, but I’ll be better. You’re worth it, but you’ve also been an arsehole.”
Sam grew up on a farm outside of Sydney, later moving to the city with his parents. Music was integral to his childhood – he started playing the violin at the age of three, and later the saxophone. His mum would listen to Enya at home while his dad had three albums on rotation – The Bodyguard soundtrack, Michael Jackson HIStory on Film, Volume II and a rock compilation. By 12 he was writing his own music.
He recalls his parents buying him his first album. “It was a Human Nature record,” he explains. “I listened to it over and over again, and learned all the songs. I asked them to buy me another album, and they said no! I was like, ‘excuse me!’ So I decided to write my own albums out of sheer spite! Proving people wrong has been a major driving force in my life.”
He joined a jazz band at his high school and won a scholarship at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston when he was 18. It was a pivotal four years in his life. Not only did he learn his craft, but he met his wife Erin, who now does backing vocals in his band. It’s also where he met his guitarist, fellow Australian, Marton Bisits.
After graduating Sam moved to LA to try and make it as a singer and songwriter. But it was tough, and he struggled to make ends meet. While sleeping on any soft surface he could find, he did backing vocals for the band Holychild, worked for cash as a delivery driver for an Australian meat pie shop in downtown LA called ‘The Bronzed Aussie’ and said yes to any and every session he could find.
Early in 2019 he noticed that his track “This City” had gone from 4000 streams a day on Spotify, to 10,000, then later to 60,000. “I was wondering what was going on? The track had been out for a year already. Then I got a message from someone named LeeThe4th saying, ‘I wanted to let you know that your track This City is the biggest song on a new app called ‘TikTok’ right now.’ I was like, ‘What’s TikTok?!’”
Now Sam is looking forward to getting back to performing live in front of an audience again. “I’m excited to tour as much as possible. And really work my arse off to show the world who I am and what I can do as an artist.”
– 16+, under 16 admitted with a ticketed parent or guardian
