Photo of Sam Sure by Daniel A. Harris
Following the release of his recent Catching Feelings EP, British crooner Sam Sure says he's glad fans are finally hearing his new music because the songs "only mean something to me when they’re sitting on my laptop, but once others hear them, it’s totally different."
Speaking with Variance after the EP's release, the emerging singer recalls the "unexpected" response to his 2014 breakout single "Hunger," explaining that it "happened sort of organically." He admits, however, had he known how well it would be received, he would have rushed to release this EP.
"I would have tried to piggyback off it," he says with a laugh. "But it’s part of the journey. And I’m trying to keep myself focused on that journey instead of constantly looking to the destination."
While Sure is based in London, his music has found ears across the globe, including in North America. Ironically, he visited the States just before releasing "Hunger," not knowing he'd soon have plenty of fans in America.
"I had ‘Hunger’ written and I came to L.A. for a few weeks and hung out on Venice Beach and did graffiti," he remembers of his time, highlighting how much his focus has changed. "I just drank beer and ate burgers and played basketball. It was wicked."
Fast-forward to 2016 and Sure says it's wild to think people are playing his music at home and in public "in places I can’t even pronounce."
"The fact that there are people in the States hearing my music—I just got a call from a friend of mine who was in Toronto and he said ‘Hunger’ was playing at a record store," he explains. "That’s sick! That’s crazy! I’ve never been to Toronto! I’ve never been to all these places in America. I’d be in America now if they would let me go, but the reality is, you have to be at a certain level before you can go and do all that. For the people to show up."
He's working on that part as well. And he's already thinking of big names he'd love to collaborate in the future.
"I’d love to collaborate with Drake," he says somewhat bashfully. "If you know him or could let him know, that would be great. ... Or let’s say Rihanna said she wants to do a duet. Even if I met her and I thought she weren’t very nice—but no, that sounds like a lie. I’d just apologize. She could be terrible to me and I’d drop everything if Rihanna wanted to collaborate."
For now, Sure will be promoting the new EP, with plans to get to other countries over the next year. The goal is "to let this record have the longest life it can have," he says. "I want people to fall in love with one of the songs and then discover the others. And I don’t care in which order."
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Sam Sure's Catching Feelings EP is out now on Black Butter Records.