New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Today, British-Nigerian r&b/soul artist Samm Henshaw unveils his new single and music video "Still Broke," the first installment of his Untidy Soul series project. The new track is an introspective examination of happiness and self-fulfillment, despite the materialistic aspects in one's life. "Still Broke" was produced by longtime Henshaw collaborator Josh Grant, who has worked with artists like Shawn Mendes, Tom Walker, Moss Kena and is a member of electro-pop, experimental r&b duo WESLEE. American jazz trumpeter, vocalist, songwriter, and producer Keyon Harrold is also featured on the track and video as he provides the brass backup and soon steps forward for a trumpet solo.
The visual, directed by Jim Pilling, centers around a main character named
Sonny and is a melanin-packed display set in a picturesque mansion as he moves unmoored through the motions of life. At the end of the music video,
Sonny finally leaves the mansion and we see what seems to be his first genuine smile as he breathes a sigh of relief.
Samm Henshaw on "Still Broke": "When I wrote 'Still Broke' I'd just been dropped from my label and broken up with my girlfriend right around the same time. It's a song about how you can have everything you want in the world but still feel quite empty, and how success is actually internal—which is a lesson I'd needed to learn."
The son of a reverend, Henshaw grew up on gospel music and began writing worship songs for church at the age of 15. Naming Kirk Franklin, Lauryn Hill, and
Marvin Gaye among his early inspirations, Henshaw made his acclaimed debut with a 2015 EP called The Sound Experiment, and soon began touring with such artists as Chance the Rapper and Tori Kelly. Over the coming years, he made waves with singles like 2018's "
Broke" and 2019's "
Church"—a high-powered collaboration with Atlanta-based duo EARTHGANG that's amassed over 21 million streams on Spotify to date.
At the end of 2020, Samm Henshaw released "upbeat and positive anthem" (NPR Music) "All Good," a collaboration with Samsung UK, which now has over 1 million streams on YouTube alone. Samm also brought the single to his late-night performance debut on Full Frontal With Samantha Bee and helped land him on NPR Music's coveted 2021 Slingshot's Artists To Watch list.
Recently, Dos Equis tapped Samm Henshaw to provide the leading music for their new national campaign. The commercial features a group of friends prepping for a night out, all set to his feel-good track "All Good." Check out the new campaign ad: https://youtu.be/8uPsP20Yg40
Samm Henshaw's music will soon be hitting the big screen as he has partnered with forthcoming film North Hollywood - starring Vince Vaughn,
Miranda Cosgrove, Nico Hiraga, Ryder McLaughlin - to provide the music for the ending credits. The song, entitled "Bellflower Ave," is an experimental r&b track that is fused with an old-school soul vibe, a great display of Henshaw's masterful musicianship. North Hollywood is a coming of age story about a young man trying to figure out what to do after high school graduation. He grapples between going to college, going to work, or following his dream of becoming a pro-skater. North Hollywood is slated for streaming release today, May 14.
Henshaw is currently gearing up for a very exciting 2021 with much more on the way. Stay tuned!
Recent Praises for Samm Henshaw:
"an upbeat and positive anthem… a huge single" - NPR Music
"Exuberant" - FADER
"Will surely give you reason to smile" - Complex
"Ecstatic, radiant… Exultant. A raspy, elegant wail that anchors his soul- and hip-hop-inspired confections" - MTV
