Talking to Sam Feldt about his Surprise Album release "Sunset" (Interview)
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This past Friday (November 24th) Sam Feldt surprised us all with the release of his "Sunset" album consisting of 12 songs to complete his earlier release "Sunrise" released in early October. EDM Canada had the great opportunity to ask Sam a few questions on release day with regards to his new release Sunset, his experiences this past year and more!
Sinejan Ozaydemir: Congratulations on the release of your Debut album Sunrise and now part 2 Sunset!!! How does it feel? / How have the last 49 days (OCT 6-Nov 24) been since the release of your debut album Sunrise?
Sam Feldt: Hey guys, thanks for having me for this interview! The last 49 days have been amazing! The response on the first album has been overwhelming both online and at the live shows. I am currently on tour in the USA for my “From Sunrise to Sunset Tour” and on my way to Los Angeles for a show tonight.
How are you looking to share Sunset in the next 49+ days?
We kept the second album a secret on purpose until it’s release, to make sure Sunrise got the attention it deserved. Now that Sunset has been released, I can finally start sharing all the songs with my fans and start playing them during my live set. I can’t wait to see the responses!
What do you give your fans in this part 2 of your release that you haven’t yet since you have started producing and performing?
I think Sunrise to Sunset is my biggest and most diverse release to date. The album contains a lot of surprises and interesting collaborations, including ones with Shaggy, Sam Martin, Joshua Radin, Akon, Inna and many more. Every song on the album is clearly “Sam Feldt Music” but they all have their own vibe and story behind it.
Sunrise to Sunset, you are a busy guy! How do you document feelings and changes that happen to you in any given 24 hours and turn them into songs with such a busy schedule? How do you document ideas that pop into your head when you are busy?
When I’m on the road, I use the iPhone voice recorder a lot to make sure I don’t forget about any melody ideas that I have. Also, working with inspiring vocalists from different genres and areas of the world helps a lot! I just get so inspired when I visit different countries with other cultures and musical styles.
What part of the day makes you feel most inspired? Sunrise or Sunset? And why?
You might not expect this, but I’m actually a morning person. When I wake up early in the morning (preferably before anyone else) I feel very focused and awake.
Sunrise is full of songs you want to listen to if you want to start the day fresh, lively, get energized and start a positive day. How do the vibes differ in Sunset?/What kind of vibes should we expect as listeners?
Where Sunrise was all about daytime vibes, Sunset is music made for the night. But then in the broadest sense of the word: it’s definitely not (only) club music. It’s also music for stargazing or walking your lover home after date night.
You are currently 24 years old. What was a lesson that year 24 taught you and how has that influenced these last two album releases(sunrise & sunset)? What one message or tip would you give to your 23 or 22 year old self after being through this experience of releasing this 2-part album?
Good question! I would definitely recommend him to stress less about little things that don’t really matter in the end. This year, I’ve definitely learned that it’s OK for things to go wrong sometimes - that’s just the way life is.
How has it been getting to collaborate with so many amazing people on this?
It’s always great to collab with different inspirational musicians! Since my songs are very vocal and melodic, I’ve always been a big collaborator. I’ve always chosen collaborating with live musicians and vocalists over collaborating with other DJ’s, because that makes for the most interesting end results. I think that reflects on the album in a huge way.
What was your favourite collab on the Sunset part of the album? Or most exciting? Or one you didn’t think would ever happen but did? And why?/what about it makes it so special?
Every collab on the album has it’s own personal story and is invaluable for me. One collab I want to feature to answer your question is the track I did with The Federal Empire called Shot By My Own Gun. It was a fun challenge combining their rocky sounds with my dance sound. In the end, for that track, less turned out to be more! In the end, it became one of my favorite tracks off the album!
How involved are you at the songwriting process: particularly in writing/choosing lyrics for example? Do you write/choose lyrics and songs to work on that tell a story that you also relate to personally? Example from Sunset?
I’m very involved! For me, this album has been about telling a story. A story of Sam Feldt, but also a story of my life so far (hence the 24 tracks, since I’m 24 years old). Therefore it was very important that the lyrics of the tracks resonated with me and my story.
After listening to Sunrise and Sunset, I, as a listener, felt like the songs were quite uplifting, almost like telling the listener that he/she is not alone in the world.
Especially in “Leave me alone”; lyrically I feel like the concept is upsetting in a way (although it is about trying to do what’s best for everyone involved, the singer is asking to be left alone when he would rather not be). But the instrumental section comes in and its like this feeling of hope floods right through our ears and you just can’t help but feel uplifted. Is giving your fans this sort of warm feeling of community and the feeling that they aren’t alone a goal of yours that you have in mind when you are creating?
Definitely! After every Sunset comes another Sunrise, so don’t worry about the dark and bad times because this too shall pass. That’s a strong message I’ve tried to implement in the album and the songs on it. Leave Me Alone is a good example of a track that has emotional lyrics and meaning but has an overall feelgood vibe. I always like contrasts like that. It’s easy to make a happy song or a sad song - making a sad song sound feel-good is more of a challenge.
What’s your favourite feel-good moment on the album?
When we play the track Sensational live with the live band during my shows.
“Don’t have to say a word” is about using non-verbal language. What is one way your fans show you that they are really into the music at your shows? (ex. Do you have a lot of people really expressing themselves through dancing at the shows? Do they bring any cool or interesting fan art/posters/props/glowsticks that they waive around?)
Since I can’t really talk to the audience at shows, communication is almost exclusively non verbal. When I see people having a good time and dancing to music, a synergy is created between met and the audience. This gives me the energy to give everything I got, which then translates into more people have a good time. It’s a circle :)
What has been a great/special highlight of your current US Sunrise to Sunset tour so far?
Every show so far has been great and special, but if I had to name one I would go for my own show on Times Square in New York at the Playstation Theatre. So special that we can fill up a theatre with die hard Sam Feldt fans on such an iconic place!
What is next for you in the new year? Where are you wanting to visit/perform? Will you be touring any places you haven’t even been before?
The calendar for next year is already filling up nicely! I’ve played in pretty much every country that has dance music events over the past 4 years but I still would really like to go to Russia once, since I’ve never visited.
If you were a fan of yours who had just heard your sunset album for the first time and wanted to share it online with all your friends, how would you describe it?
The perfect introduction to everything Sam Feldt stands for.
How can your fans get involved in this project? Any special fan parties or events you are thinking of throwing? Where would fans find the latest info on Sam Feldt?
Definitely, sign up to heartfeldt.me and make sure you add the name of your city to your profile to stay updated!
Our thanks to Sam Feldt for taking time out of his busy schedule (his "From Sunrise to Sunset Tour") to answer our questions and keeping us in the loop with the latest info on Sam Feldt! No need to feel left out! >>You can listen to "Sunrise to Sunset" below on Spotify or on Apple music.
https://open.spotify.com/album/3DXfe2cEsCdAjORfXw0NDK
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/sunrise-to-sunset/1304688490
