Interview: Sam Fischer
Interview:
Sam Fischer
We chat with Sam Fischer about his new collaboration with Meghan Trainor, working with positive artists, and his upcoming debut album.
Photo Credit: Press
"During the pandemic, no one ever asked me how I was doing," replies Sam Fischer when I inquire about his well-being. He assures me that he's doing well. However, that opening moment ignited a captivating, candid conversation with the Australian singer-songwriter.
You’ll most likely know Sam Fischer from the success of his 2019 single ‘This City’ which propelled him to global success and ignited a career that had been a decade in the making. At this point he had already written for the likes of Keith Urban and as a classically trained musician performed strings on Paramore’s self-titled 2013 record. His rise to prominence was far from an overnight phenomenon.
Fast forward to 2023 and he’s gearing up for the release of his highly anticipated debut album (more on that soon). Today however see’s the long-awaited release of his collaboration with close friend Meghan Trainor. The track titled ‘Alright’ was written by Fischer after having an anxiety attack whilst in the shower; “I was just saying to myself, ‘I’m going to be alright, I’m going to be alright’. The resulting track is a powerful pop song with that empowering mantra about overcoming self-doubt at its core.
After being introduced through a mutual friend, Fischer soon struck up a strong bond with pop superstar Meghan Trainor, fast becoming close with her and her family, even attending her wedding to actor Daryl Sabara in 2018. Trainor went to watch Fischer open for Lewis Capaldi the following year and was immediately struck upon hearing 'Alright' in his set. “After the show, she text me like ‘What was that Alright song, it’s a banger'… I sent it to her and she messaged something like ‘If you want me to jump on this, I would love to do that’. So I went over to her house and she wrote her verse and had all of the vocals for everything and we just sounded amazing together”.
Fischer was an independent artist at the time with ‘This City’ just released and taking his focus. The pandemic swiftly followed and despite staying in touch, they both thought it wasn’t the right time to put the track out, Fischer describing it as “putting music out during the pandemic… would just be swept away”.
At the start of the year, Fischer’s label was elated with the track and keen for its release. As he explains to me though, for him, he wanted it to happen naturally with Trainor's blessing. “I’m just not the guy that is going to be opportunistic about anything, and Meghan obviously has had the most incredible resurgence into pop music, and she rightly deserves it. She has had hit after hit, after hit, after hit!... and was not getting the respect she deserved for so long. I was like ‘This collab can only happen if Meghan really wants to do it’ because Meghan, A is my friend first and foremost, and B, is having such a big moment right now, I would never want to seem like I’m just taking advantage of that”.
As fate would have it, the following month at a mutual friend's wedding, an unexpected encounter provided Fischer with the organic moment he had been longing for. “Meghan and I were at this wedding and we hadn’t seen each for two and a half years, we’re staying at the same hotel, and I was walking around with my wife Erin when the first thing I hear is this voice yelling from a sprinter van going ‘Oi Sam Fischer! Let’s make a TikTok!’, I turned to her like ‘We haven’t seen each other for two and a half years and that’s the first thing you say to me” Fischer recounts laughing. “We had such a fun time at this wedding, and then Meghan comes up to me like ‘Yo whatever happened to that song Alright, are we gonna put that out?’ and I said to her, Bro if you want to put it out, let’s go!”. After sharing the track with Trainor and receiving an enthusiastic response from her management team, plans were set in motion for what Trainor described as their 'summer banger'.
Fischer is no stranger to a big Pop collaboration. As well as ‘Alright’ with Meghan Trainor he’s released the heavenly duet ‘High on You’ with Amy Shark and the power ballad ‘What Other People Say’ with Demi Lovato. I asked him what dynamic adding another voice onto a track brings and he was keen to express his joy of working with other artists “I personally love it, collaboration is everything” Fischer exclaimed.
He believes that collaborations add an exciting element, drawing a parallel to the anticipation in the hip-hop world, where fans eagerly await collaborations between artists. He explains, "Everyone is waiting for the collabs and everyone is so excited to see which artists are collabing with who." A sharp disconnect he explains from Pop nowadays “In the pop world it’s almost like ‘if you can’t stand on your own then you’re not a real artist’ and I just totally don’t agree with that”. With collaboration he also values the opportunity to promote a song alongside another artist who understands the intricacies of being a performer, stating, "Being able to promote a song with another person who understands what it is to promote a song... that is amazing as well."
It’s also a chance to humanize, connect and work with some incredible artists he really admires explaining what it was like to work alongside Demi, Meghan and Amy, "It's just really cool to humanise people that you've looked up to or become a fan of… getting the opportunity to do something with someone who is as prolific as Demi was honestly such a treat, and then Meghan is a workhorse like that is someone whose writing has just been over everything. I mean, she has written bangers for other people as well, I think people forget that. She wrote ‘Sledgehammer’ which I’m pretty sure broke Fifth Harmony in the US, and then Amy is an institution in Australia, she’s such a pro… she has absolutely dominated her lane”.
Whilst finally as a songwriter he explains how the blending of his artistry with others is a ‘fascinating and rewarding experience’, acknowledging that whilst the outcome of some sessions can vary, it’s always worthwhile, saying "Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't, but yeah, it's good."
Anyone who has listened to a Sam Fischer song, whether it's 'This City' or one of his many other tracks, will note how his writing comes from such a personal and intimate place. I asked him whether due to that he can find it hard to let some of those songs go to other people when writing for different artists. “Sometimes it is hard,” he tells me, before breaking it down further. “It’s been so cool being the artist now because there are some songs on this album that were originally being held by other artists, and when it came time for me to make my album I was like ‘Well I’m going to take this song back’.”
He goes on to provide a specific example “There’s a song on the album called ‘Landslide’ and that was being held by, well I won’t name who it was but it was a major player, a big old pop boy, for a long time and I kind of got to the point where ‘This City’ was going crazy and I was like, you know what, I want that song back” he describes. For very good reason it seems as he proceeds to detail the deeply personal nature of the track to me “It’s a really tender love song, it’s all about the way that my wife and I fell in love.”
“It’s an exploration of the relationship that I have with myself, and the way that things have gone over the last four years”
On the other side of that there are also moments where even though you’re writing for another artist, you find yourself connected to the track he says, “There have been other songs where the intention of the session was to write for someone else but at the end of them I think ‘I wish I could keep that’”, name-checking the track ‘Polaroid’ he wrote for Keith Urban, “he kills it but like I still listen to my demo of it”.
That’s not to say he doesn’t enjoy writing for other artists “There’s a song that I never would have been able to keep because I’m just not that cool” he says, noting the track ‘Confidently Lost’ performed by Sabrina Claudia, “It’s absolutely the coolest song I’ve ever written, and part of me wishes I could have kept it or been on the song with her but I’m just not that cool” he says with a chuckle in his voice. Despite that all though, he still finds it incredibly fulfilling to see his songs find their homes and thrive with other artists, concluding, “It’s also for me so cool to see songs, find their homes and thrive with someone else”.
Speaking of tracks kept back for his upcoming album, Fischer was more than happy to chat about his long-awaited debut album due out later this year. “Oh my god, I’m so excited for this album to come out” he declares, revealing it’s titled ‘I Love You, Please Don’t Hate Me’. “It’s an exploration of the relationship that I have with myself, and the way that things have gone over the last four years” he describes, telling me “it feels like I’ve spent a lifetime writing it”.
Whilst admitting that it’s “not been the romantic, beautiful process” that he’d always dreamed of, due in part to a lot of it being written over the pandemic when people couldn’t be with each over, he’s incredibly excited for people to finally have “a body of work” from him. “I think it’s been hard to really like hold on to me as an artist, as someone you’d want to support because I wasn’t rounded out, and I think this album allows me to do that”.
Fischer beams with pride and excitement as he speaks about the album, expressing his eagerness for people to hear his work, “I’m so proud of the songs on it… I’m really excited to play it all live… I think people will get a sense for who I am.” he states. He also hints that people will be “pleasantly surprised” by the record and its mix of emotions, “It’s not all doom and gloom, there are some big ol banger son it, and production elements that I haven’t really explored much”.
There are also some exciting teases about tracks to come on the record “There’s a song called ‘Secondhand Happiness’ which I wrote with LostBoy and Tom Man, who are two incredible English writers and producers, and it’s got this cool kind of hip hop influenced drop in it.” All tracks come from an honest place, with Fischer describing how he leads his writing with love and hope, yet the album will explore all of him, every side. This leads him to discuss the track ‘Somebody Cares’ which provides a nice full circle moment to our conversation ‘It’s all about how I was an overachieving kid, and now people pleasing adult with the line ‘I just want to be somebody, somebody cares about’. I think that’s so true for me because I don’t get asked how I’m doing a lot”.
So how is he doing? He’s doing great, and he’s excited for everyone to experience the world of I Love You, Please Don’t Hate Me later this year.
‘Alright’ by Sam Fischer and Meghan Trainor is out now. You can find the track on streaming services. Sam Fischer is set to play a series of London shows this month more ticket details can be found on his website here.
8 June - The Waiting Room - London, UK
9 June - Folklore - London, UK