St. Catharines, ON-based jazz-pop, R&B artist, Sammy Jackson has unveiled her new single, “Past Tense” along with a lyric video to accompany the release.
“Past Tense” lands ahead of her upcoming sophomore album, With You which features five tracks, fully encapsulating Jackson’s uniquely distinct, genre-fusing sound with thoughtful lyricism that’s honest and relatable. The album, which was funded by Ontario Arts Council and FACTOR is set for release on September 14, 2020.
“With You explores themes of vulnerability, broken relationships, and love,” Sammy shares. “‘Past Tense’ is about the journey from feeling insecure about your significant other’s past relationships to seeing those doubts disappear as your love grows.”
Check out the lyric video for “Past Tense” below and find out more about Sammy via our Five Questions With segment.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Sammy Jackson. I am a singer-songwriter currently residing in St. Catharines ON. I studied at the University of Toronto earning a Bachelor of Music in Performance with a specialization in Jazz Voice. In addition to being a musician, I am also a music educator and I thoroughly enjoy learning about how the voice functions in addition to sharing my knowledge and love of music with my students.
Tell us a bit about your music and writing style.
My music falls under the category of Jazz but fuses elements of Pop and R&B. I try to write in a way that is accessible to different types of music listeners. My writing style starts off drawing from personal experiences while telling a story honestly. First, I come up with different chord progressions on piano for each section of the song. After this, I usually experiment with melodic lines and lyrics at the same time. I then play and sing through the song until it feels fine-tuned and ready to bring to my band.
Do you have any upcoming shows? For someone who has yet to see you live, how would you explain your live performance?
With all the venue closures and setbacks that have been going on with COVID-19, I was fortunate enough to have my EP pre-release at the Jazz Bistro in Toronto on September 3rd. I don’t currently have any upcoming shows as I wait for music venues to reopen but I look forward to returning to performing when things get somewhat back to normal. During my live performances, audience members can expect to hear some of Canada’s most outstanding musicians, including Thomas Fleming (guitar), Chris Pruden (piano), Mark Godfrey (bass), and Ian Wright (drums). My performances are often described as a balance between lively and laid back. People often comment that they enjoy hearing the stories behind my original compositions and find them relatable.
If you were asked to suggest only one of your songs for someone to hear, which would it be?
I would suggest my latest single called Past Tense. This song was co-written with singer-songwriter, Jacqueline Teh. It’s about feeling insecure about your significant other’s past relationships but as you continue to grow as a couple these doubts fade away. Musically, it’s a song that sums up my style and it’s on a topic that almost anyone can relate to.
Canadian Beats is all about Canadian music, so who are your current favourite Canadian bands/ artists?
I feel like Canada has so many talented musicians but one artist who really stands out to me is Barbra Lica. Not only is she an amazing songwriter but she has such great control over her voice and really captures an audience in a special way. She has definitely impacted my career significantly. A couple of other Canadian artists I really enjoy are Lydia Persaud and Tara Kannangara.
Connect with Sammy Jackson:
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram