Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Sam MacPherson

Meet singer-songwriter Sam MacPherson. He’s a talented up-and-comer who’s poised to have a breakout 2020, thanks to his new single, “No Bad Memories.” The song is a celebration of those special moments you’ve shared with a significant other, even after the relationship has ended. And it’s quickly racking up the streams. Pop Culturalist caught up with Sam to learn more about him, “No Bad Memories,” and how he’s found his voice as an artist.

PC: How did you discover your passion for music?
Sam: My lifelong relationship with music as a listener at some point transformed and I became a creator as well. I think that’s when I really took time to appreciate and understand how deeply music affects me and how intertwined it is in my everyday life.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Sam: My parents and my little brother have had the biggest influence on my career because without them I wouldn’t be here. Having people I love and respect say “go for it” is all I needed to really dive in.

PC: Tell us about your new single, “No Bad Memories.” What inspired the track?
Sam: It’s interesting to me how people try and weaponize moments of a relationship that’s ended as a way to encourage and endorse their own moving on. My relationship ended and I found myself being fully incapable of that type of coping. All I had was memories of the happiest I’ve ever been. That’s not exactly perfect conditions for getting over someone you’ve lost, but it is a really sweet kind of frustration. This song came from a need to communicate and also, in retrospect, appreciate that feeling.

PC: It’s been a few years since you released your debut single. How have you grown since that time?
Sam: I have grown as a songwriter, as a singer, as a musician, and as a person. That first song was really just the beta test to see if I was capable of writing something worth listening to.

PC: You shared on Instagram that you held “No Bad Memories” close to your chest. What is it like now having it out in the world and seeing the reception that it’s getting?
Sam: It’s been really fun seeing people resonate with the song after sitting with it for so long. That song means the world to me, so the fact that people are connecting to it and taking a little piece of it home with them is nothing but inspiring to me. I feel very grateful.

PC: How does “No Bad Memories” differentiate itself from “Something Simple?”
Sam: “No Bad Memories,” to me, checks all of the boxes in terms of the kind of artist I want to be going forward. It’s my first step in the right direction. “Something Simple” was more an experiment than it is a part of my mission statement.

PC: As you look forward to the next five to ten years, what do you hope to accomplish?
Sam: I plan on going on tour and eventually selling out Madison Square Garden. I’d also love to at some point be in a position where I can give back to the community and the people that have helped me become the person I am. There would be nothing more exciting to me than having music be the vehicle that gets me there.

PC: As we look ahead to the rest of 2020, what does the year hold for you?
Sam: Releasing a few more singles that will slowly but surely assemble a full project.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Sam: Hmm, maybe Lorde? I think she’s great.

PC: First album you bought?
Sam: How to Save a Life, The Fray

PC: First concert you attended?
Sam: The Rolling Stones

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
Sam: Continuum, John Mayer. It’s the reason I became enamored with guitar and songwriting in the first place. It was my first real visit to the intersection of hypermusicality and lyrically dense songwriting.

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Sam: Madison Square Garden

PC: A must-have on the road?
Sam: People that make being off stage as fun as being on it.

To keep up with Sam, follow him on Instagram and Spotify.