Swedish RADAR Artist Sam Ezeh Brings a Retro Sound to Modern-Day Listeners

Sam Ezeh’s music may have elements of ’60s and ’70s rock and soul, but he’s making a mark with his own progressive 2021 twist. The Swedish artist’s sound defies genre and gives modern listeners something they can’t help but sway their heads to. The singer, songwriter, and producer is one of the newest artists to be a part of Spotify’s emerging-artist program, RADAR, which launches in the Nordic region this month.

Through RADAR, Spotify will work with Swedish and Danish artists like Sam, LOVA, Augustine, Mina Okabe, and IVAN$ITO to amplify and connect their music with new audiences. Follow their journey in the enhanced playlist RADAR COLLECTIVE Nordics. 

For the Record chatted with Sam to learn more about his new EP, Night at Ezeh’s, and where he finds his inspiration.

What are you looking forward to as one of Spotify’s first RADAR artists for Sweden?

I’m very excited for my music to continue to spread across the globe. And hopefully it gets to resonate with more and more people. As a new independent artist, it’s a great opportunity. So many new people have discovered my music through Spotify playlists, like the Release Radar playlist. And the platform is a good way for people to follow me if they’re not up to date with my social media.

How does streaming your music expand your opportunity to reach new audiences? 

I love experimenting. I feel like my main goal is to have fun when I make music. There are so many different styles that I listen to, and I want that to be heard in the music that I make as well. 

This whole streaming era is very reassuring. It lets me know that no matter what type of music I make, there will always be someone out there who appreciates it. I’m on Twitter sometimes, reading my mentions, and I see there are so many different people who listen to my music. It’s really fun how the internet has brought everyone together in a sense.

You have a hand in all stages of your work, from songwriting to producing to mixing. Why was it important to you to learn about all these elements of making music? 

I started my musical journey alone. A lot of people have either a group of friends and they start a band together or they’re in a choir or something like that. But I didn’t have that, so I had to learn everything myself. And it’s very liberating to have knowledge in all of these areas, because I know that I can try out whatever I want. And it’s also very empowering to know that I can take a song from an idea to finish without anyone else having to be involved. I’d say my favorite part of the process is the producing.

What message do you want people to take from your music?

Honestly, I just want people to vibe to my music, and hopefully I can kind of soundtrack moments of their lives. But also with my whole experimenting thing, my creative process, I hope that people can take inspiration from that too. And whether they’re a creative person or not, they know they don’t have to conform to any norms or rules, and they can just feel freedom in whatever they do.

You’ve described your EP, Night at Ezeh’s, as an invitation into your world. What do you mean by that?

So it’s a collection of some songs I’ve made so far, but I tried to arrange the track list so it would feel more like one musical piece, adding an intro and the interlude and such to give the whole EP a life of its own. That’s why it’s called Night at Ezeh’s. I want it to be like a night with me. If I had to pick one track for people to begin with, it would be “CRISIS,” because it was my first release and that’s where my journey started. 

This past year presented many unprecedented challenges. How has it changed the way you approach your music?

It didn’t really affect my day-to-day life, since I’m a “bedroom producer” and I’m at home all the time anyways. But not being able to meet people out, I kind of had to find sources of inspiration elsewhere. And so a lot of it was just looking within myself, a lot of introspection, and also taking all that time to work on my crafts and deepen my passions.

Do you use any Spotify tools to connect with fans?

I like to use Canvas [a short looping visual artists can add to their tracks on Spotify] to show people my visual side. I feel like it adds something to my songs, too.

What advice do you have for fellow emerging artists?

I’d say having patience, knowing that things take time, but also clarifying what it is that you want and then adjusting yourself accordingly. I also believe that there are lots of opportunities in this world, so when the time is right, things can happen very quickly too.

Take a trip into Sam’s world with his EP, Night at Ezeh’s, below.