Sam Ryder embraces his independent era: "I was living a life that felt insincere"

"You never know, when you’ve been away," Sam Ryder says of his year-long break from the limelight. "In this day and age, with the frequency with which we consume new artistry, new content, new media; you never know if people will still care."

In 2020, Sam Ryder was catapulted from wedding singer to TikTok sensation; serving some solace via social media during the darkest of times. In the years that followed, he became the UK's Eurovision hopeful, bagged a chart-topping album and gave WHAM! a run for their money in the coveted Christmas Number 1 race.

Then, he took a step back.

Parting from his label, it was time for Sam to assume autonomy of his craft once again. Working between the UK and Nashville, Sam spent a year building a new team who, together, would create his new 'world' of artistry.

Now, as he returns with new single White Lies, we catch up with Sam to talk taking ownership, 'frontier soul' and life outside of the system.

MORE: Where every Sam Ryder song and album has charted in the UK

Hey, Sam! Congratulations on the release of White Lies. Why was this the right song to kick off your new chapter?

"We wrote White Lies in one of my first sessions. Myself, Nick Lobel and Trent Dabbs sat down and it just felt like the one. Not ‘the one’ as in ‘this’ll be the big single that gets us all paid.’ More the turning point where we hit the sonics of the record; it felt like a great start. This felt special because it was the first flag in the ground where we thought ‘sonically, this is it – frontier soul.’ 

"The meaning’s perfect to kick things off with, too. It’s about white lies that we tell ourselves; I really resonated with that. 

"I looked at some of the work I’ve done before. It’s something I was so proud of, and every day felt like new milestone moment, and I’m so lucky for that. 

"But, because of that frequency, it’s hard to take stock. You find yourself in a state of response, rather than reaction. We weren’t afforded that luxury to take time in the studio. Right after it kicked off, it didn’t stop kicking off until I made that decision.  

"After the Emmys, I got back to my hotel room in Los Angeles and thought ‘that’s it, from tomorrow onwards, I’m going into the studio and not coming out until I feel happy.’ 

"Get out there, put the jumpsuit on and smile. I was living a life that felt insincere. I truly want to be sincere. I want to be a happy person, living confidently in myself, living my truth. 

"When your interviewer’s being told you’re doing that, you start playing up to it even more. You start selling you’re trying to promote, and that’s something I never wanted to do. You find yourself telling White Lies, with the best of intentions, but White Lies nonetheless."

You're releasing White Lies as an independent artist - congratulations! What's been your biggest learning on the journey so far?

"I’ve never felt better than I do right now about the choices that are being made. The team’s the biggest it’s ever been, but we’re in a state of independence; away from the major system. We’re in a space of gratitude. We’re such a tight-knit team. We’re not just musically aligned, we’re spiritually aligned. I can’t ask for more than that. I just know that we’re on the right path now; I’m buzzing for it. 

"I like the humility that comes from the people working on the team, outside of the major system. In that system – and I don’t want to paint with broad brushstrokes here, because I owe a great deal to the major system – I can see there’s a culture where people are afraid to say ‘I don’t know.’

"Keeping your job in the major system is scary; people don’t know if their job will be necessary, if they’ll have a desk. That doesn’t foster great work. If people are in a state of flux or concern over their livelihood, how can they be creative?"

It sounds like you've taken those major label learnings and applied them to your grassroots beginnings, in a way...

"100%. It’s going back to where the foundations were laid. I have so much to thank the major system for – I truly mean that with my whole heart. What we did when we were picked up for Eurovision, talking of building worlds, I knew I had to build a world that would work for Eurovision. 

"Creating that world – the jumpsuits, everything like that – was necessary because I was a massive fan of that institution and I knew in my gut how to approach it. I knew how to build something that’d feel larger than life on that stage. 

"But Eurovision was only a chapter of the book, and now we’re building a new world for this next record."

You've been through such a transitional period, artistically and personally. How's your life changed over the past year?

"I’ve just moved to a log cabin in Nashville. I’m living between Nashville and London with my amazing partner Lois, who’s so involved in the project as well.

"My history with Nashville spans 12 years. I’ve been going back and forward and have a circle of friends and collaborators there who I love so much. It’s been wonderful to put down some roots there finally; it was always a dream."

Listen to Sam Ryder's White Lies:

Is White Lies representative of the album's direction? What's the vibe?

"I’ve been calling the sound 'frontier soul.' Think Tarantino vibes in the instrumentation. Big, vocal, soul music. It’s so exciting – getting all desert-y. There are track and field-coded elements in the fashion. I’m buzzing.

"Everything’s been recorded, in the most part, on analogue equipment; tape machines, everything’s filmed on old, vintage mediums. It’s so fun; every member of the team is deeply engrained not just in the music, but in the whole process. How we film stuff, how we grade it, how we choose a typeface – everything!

"That’s what I’m buzzing to share. This isn’t just a sound shared on social media that we hope does well and, if it doesn’t, we say ‘new song coming’ in a month. We’re trying to get rid of the fast fashion aspect of this industry. We want to pull the rug out in the best, most loving way possible.

"It’s with people from that world who had that love, who weren’t perhaps seen as valuable. They’re completely valuable."

AI and the protection of artists' intellectual property are obviously hot topics right now, in the music industry and beyond. This record sounds like the antithesis of digital of music's total digitisation...

"It’s such an important discussion and, while I’m underqualified to speak on it deeply, I’m involved with a project that’s at the forefront of the trail; protecting artists not just in the music space, but creatives in general. I’m involved with them behind the scenes to make sure we’re taken care of. I’m happy to learn how to steady the ship. 

"Talking of frontiers, AI is one that’s rapidly heading towards us."

How's the album shaping up so far - is it almost finished?

"We’re so prepped with everything so far; single one and two. That’s the beauty of having our own space; we can go on set whenever we need to. We have a bunch of festivals, we’re visiting South Korea again later in the year and have a US tour coming up in May. 

"We’ve got things going on in the tech space, too; talking about AI with people way smarter than me and finding out what’s going on there. It’s hectic! I’m looking for the last song on the record at the moment. Until that song’s on my hard drive and I can’t stop listening to it, that’s when I’ll tell myself ‘the record’s done!’"

Sam Ryder's White Lies is out now via Artist Theory.