Sam Fender

Samuel Thomas Fender (born 25 April 1994) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. After commencing a career as an actor, he was signed as a singer and released several singles independently, being named one of the BBC's Sound of 2018.[3] he signed to Polydor Records and released his debut EP, Dead Boys, in November 2018.[4] He won the Critics' Choice Award at the 2019 Brit Awards and released his debut album, Hypersonic Missiles, in September 2019.[5] The album entered the UK Albums Chart at No. 1.[6]

Sam Fender
Fender performing in January 2019
Background information
Birth nameSamuel Thomas Fender
Born (1994-04-25) 25 April 1994
North Shields, Tyne and Wear, England
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • musician
  • actor
Websitesamfender.com
Musical career
GenresIndie rock[1]
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • bass
  • piano
  • synthesizer
Years active2013–present
LabelsPolydor[2]

Early life

Samuel Thomas Fender was born on 25 April 1994[7] in North Shields, Tyne and Wear [8] to Alan and Shirley Fender. He attended John Spence Community High School in nearby Preston and the sixth form college of Whitley Bay High School alongside bandmate Joe Atkinson.[9] His father, Alan, and brother, Liam, are also both singer-songwriters; Liam also plays drums and piano.[8][10][11]

Career

In 2010, Fender was spotted performing in a pub in his home town by Ben Howard's manager Owain Davies, who took him on as a client. He acted in the 2011 pilot episode of the ITV drama series Vera and a 2012 episode of the CBBC fantasy series Wolfblood before being signed as a singer. His 2017 single "Play God" was featured in the video game FIFA 19.[12]

After an extended tour, Fender had to cancel several gigs in 2019 (including the Glastonbury Festival) after experiencing bleeding in his vocal cords.[13] After a month of rest, he recovered sufficiently to perform as support act for Bob Dylan and Neil Young in Hyde Park.[14]

Fender released his debut studio album, Hypersonic Missiles, on 13 September 2019. It was preceded by the singles "Hypersonic Missiles", "Will We Talk?", and "The Borders". On 10 December 2019, he released a new track titled "All Is On My Side." He cancelled the weekend tour in May 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[15] Later that year he was the first act to perform at the Virgin Money Unity Arena, a specially created socially distanced venue.[16]

Personal life

Fender is a Newcastle United F.C. fan.[17]

Discography
Main article: Sam Fender discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Backing band members
  • Dean Thompson – lead guitar
  • Tom Ungerer – bass guitar
  • Joe Atkinson – keyboards, synthesizers, guitar
  • Drew Michael – drums
  • Johnny "Blue Hat" Davis – saxophone

Awards and nominations
Year Organization Award Work Result
2017 BBC Sound of 2018 Himself Nominated[18]
Ticketweb Ones to Watch 2018 Included
[19][20]
2018 Vevo DSCVR 2019 Artists to Watch
BRIT Awards Critics' Choice Award Won[21]
Radio X Best Songs of 2018 "That Sound" Included
[22][23][24]
Metro Ones to Watch 2019 Himself
Radio X Great X-Pectations 2019
2019 MTV Ones to Watch 2019 Nominated[25]
Radio X Best of British 2019 "Hypersonic Missiles" #64[26]
"That Sound" #81[26]
"Play God" #90[26]
2020 BRIT Awards Best New Artist Himself Nominated[27]
Radio X Best of British 2020 "Hypersonic Missiles" #10[28]
"Play God" #68[28]
"Dead Boys" #72[28]
"That Sound" #82[28]

References
  1. Paine, Andre (7 May 2019). "'There's a level of songwriting that sets them apart': Polydor signs Sea Girls". Music Week. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  2. "Sam Fender". Polydor Official Website.
  3. "Sound of 2018". BBC Radio.
  4. Bury, Tessa (7 June 2018). "News: Sam Fender signs to Polydor Records". Gigs North East. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  5. Blake, Jimmy (16 April 2019). "Sam Fender 'proud but terrified' of debut". BBC News. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  6. Sexton, Paul (20 September 2019). "Sam Fender's 'Hypersonic Missiles' Debuts Atop U.K. Albums Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  7. "Year of birth". Twitter.
  8. Filipe Phitzgerard. "Artist Profile: Sam Fender". F Word Magazine.
  9. Duke, Simon (20 September 2019). "Who is Sam Fender? Brit Awards Critics Choice winner set for number 1 album". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  10. Iman El Kafrawi (8 February 2018). "Introducing BBC Sound of 2018 nominee: Sam Fender". Spindle Magazine.
  11. Kenicia Gray, Hannah Kane. "Not Your Average Millennial: Five Minutes with Indie Talent Sam Fender". Phoenix.
  12. "FIFA 19 Soundtrack, featuring Childish Gambino, Gorillaz, Logic, and Mores". Electronic Arts Inc. 31 August 2018.
  13. Hutchinson, Kate (3 August 2019). "Sam Fender: "I don't want to cling on to the "class hero" thing'". The Guardian.
  14. Zemler, Emily (13 July 2019). "Concert Review: Bob Dylan, Neil Young Present a Study in Contrasts at London's Hyde Park". Variety.
  15. "Sam Fender shares 'All Is On My Side' after fans campaign for its release". Nme.com. 10 December 2019. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  16. Kreps, Daniel (4 July 2020). "U.K. Racetrack to Become First 'Dedicated Socially Distanced Venue'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  17. "MOTDx: Sam Fender & Alan Shearer talk music and their love of Newcastle United - BBC Sport". Web.archive.org. 2 October 2019. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  18. "BBC Music Sound of 2018: The Longlist". BBC. 26 November 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  19. "Ones To Watch 2018". Ticketweb. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  20. "Vevo DSCVR 2019 Artists To Watch Series Nears Close With Sam Fender, Easy Life: Exclusive". Billboard. 6 December 2018. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  21. "Brits critics' choice award won by Sam Fender". The Guardian. 7 December 2018. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  22. "Radio X's Best Songs of 2018". Radio X. 16 December 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  23. "Ones To Watch 2019: Sam Fender, Ella Mai and Slowthai lead eclectic mix of artists into the new year". Metro. 29 December 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  24. "The Best New Music, Artists And Bands For 2019". Radio X. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  25. "voting for mtv push: ones to watch 2019 is open!". MTV. 14 January 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  26. "Best of British 2019". Radio X. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  27. "Nominees for the BRIT Awards 2020". BRIT Awards. 11 January 2020. Archived from the original on 11 January 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  28. "Best of British 2020". Radio X. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
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