Artist Spotlight

SAM FREEMAN ANNOUNCES NEW SINGLE ‘AMSTERDAM’

Swansea-based singer-songwriter Sam Freeman is delighted to announce a brand-new single “Amsterdam”. Amsterdam is a chilled, mellow acoustic pop ballad written by Sam during the first Coronavirus lockdown in 2020. It captures that feeling of longing to leave behind a normal life and start a new adventure in a new city with that special someone. The track’s autumnal vibes and mellow feel lend themselves beautifully to any chilled acoustic pop playlist. In the song, there are references to many of Amsterdam’s most famous features such as the iconic bridges and canals which make the city so iconic.

Sam elaborates more by telling us “When I visited Amsterdam in October 2019, I just knew I would eventually write a song about the city. The architecture, boats, bridges, and canals are just perfect on an autumn day. Paris and Rome are known as the cities of love, but I can’t think of a better place to fall in love than Amsterdam…

My new single is all about being brave enough to ditch the day-to-day routine of normal life, grab that special someone, pack your bags and fly away to Amsterdam to start over again. Something which most of us will never do, but that everyone dreams of at one time or another.

He adds “I wrote this song almost a year ago during the Coronavirus lockdown. My trip to Amsterdam was my last holiday abroad and during a time where no travel was permitted, the process of writing this track allowed me to return, at least in spirit, to one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever seen. I really hope it can take listeners on a similar sort of journey.”

Sam released the demo version of his first single, Eden, in January 2020 and later released the studio version in June 2021. Described by Andrew Locke- Scobie (Head of Music at Xpress Radio) as ‘Beautifully put together and ‘Striking a chord with so many different emotions, the demo version of Eden has amassed almost 18,000 streams on Spotify alone.

Upon hearing Eden for the first time, BBC Radio 1’s Sam MacGregor said he was ‘excited to hear more of Sam’s music, and this came in the form of his second single Rose, released in August 2021. This track epitomized Sam’s story-centered approach to songwriting, taking listeners on an emotional rollercoaster whilst following the relationship of a couple from the beginning until the very end.

Sam is immensely proud of his roots in South Wales and is a regular on the weekend gigging circuit in Neath and Swansea, playing bars, clubs, and private functions. In the past few years, he has supported Midlands-based singer-songwriter Alice Meixner and recently supported up-and-coming indie-funk band King Cerulean in their sell-out show at Cardiff’s Clwb Ifor Bach. Outside of music, Sam manages and presents his own football-based podcast, ‘Send Him Off!’.

Sam has interviewed several high-profile guests on the show, notably actor, producer, and TalkSport host Jonny Owen and S4C football reporter Sioned Dafydd. He is a passionate Swansea City supporter and regularly attends matches at the Swansea.com stadium.

Passionate about local grassroots music and always keen to lend a helping hand, Sam was social secretary and later welfare officer of the Live Music Society whilst studying law at Cardiff University. He took part in several fundraising gigs for the charity Mind Cymru and performed at sell-out gigs at notable Cardiff venues such as Ten Feet Tall, Porters, The Moon, and Gassy Jack’s.

What do you think about this song? Drop a comment below…

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Artist Spotlight

Bhy2r unites martinique and jamaica in “Want to Be Loved”

Bhy2r’s new release, “Want to Be Loved,” crosses over between Caribbean rhythm and an R&B feeling. From the very first seconds, the track welcomes listeners into a space where melody, emotion, and culture converge. “Want to Be Loved” weaves together thick musical threads from Martinique and Jamaica.

The result is a sound that glides easily across geographic lines but still keeps an intimate, private feel. Bhy2r’s warm vocal tone anchors the tune, approaching each line with sincerity and quiet passion that makes longing and connection feel completely relatable.

One of the most captivating elements of the song is the undeniable signature sound of Dean Fraser’s legendary saxophone. His delivery introduces a soulful elegance that opens the track up, threading itself through the arrangement like its own voice. “Want to Be Loved” showcases Bhy2r’s talent for weaving disparate cultures, sounds, and emotions into a beautifully cohesive whole. That brief, pleading melody bears an elegance that hints at deeper meaning between the notes, it suggests a broader journey to come.

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Artist Spotlight

The Scouseness unveil hidden depths in “Giz A Spliff”

The Scouseness swagger’s new single, “Giz A Spliff,” begins as a carefree rock ‘n’ roll indulgence before slowly slogging underfoot and showing something far darker bubbling just beneath. What begins as a cheeky, high-energy anthem evolves into a layered meditation on love, sobriety, and the medicine of music itself.

As “Giz A Spliff” develops, it moves beyond rebellion and embraces revelation. The Scouseness wield rock’s familiar firepower not merely for noise, but as a vehicle for truth. That tension between defiance and fragility that gives the track its resonance long after the final note has faded.

“Giz A Spliff” is a reward for those who can look beyond the smoke and mirrors. It’s a song that lives by misdirection, hiding tenderness beneath swagger and reflection behind riffs. In so doing, The Scouseness deliver a single that sounds both defiant and very human, evidence that the loudest songs sometimes contain the most exposed truths.

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