Space, the Complications of Love, Loneliness, and Spirituality: A Voyage with Samuel Green

Originally published in January 2022 print

Written by James Quinn

For the past decade, a lot of alternative and unique voices and styles have been coming into the R&B genre. As our understandings of love and the self have become more complex, so too has the musings of our favorite romantic song writers. One of those up and coming voices is Samuel Green; most famously known for his singles Lost in Lost, and Dark Matter.

“I say Dark Matter is the song I’m proud of because I was super transparent, vulnerable and it touches on my experiences with loneliness and anxiety. It was the first time I had vocalized those feelings outside of my friends and family.”

Samuel Green used the theme of dark space to emphasize his loneliness and isolation when he moved from Texas to Los Angeles.  “I was always into astrology, space, and NASA; but I also felt isolated and different from the natives of LA or just other artists. It’s also a topic that I want to focus on for my next project as well.” 

Growing up in Kansas City Missouri, Green’s foundation in music came from the Blue and Jazz influences from the city and from singing in church with his family. “I sang in church, my mom sang in church, and everyone in my family were pastors so I was always in church.”  

As a child, Green always knew that he wanted to be in the performing arts singing in musical plays and playing trombone in school bands. One day Green’s grandfather, on his death-bed, told him to sing to him despite not knowing that his grandson could sing. Being a spiritual person, Samuel Green took this as a sign to seriously pursue a creative path toward music. “I loved singing around the house. The first song I ever started singing around the house was Pony, but my grandfather asking me to sing for him on his deathbed was the extra push to become a professional singer. 

Samuel Green is an introspective and spiritual person. Not only does being spiritual help keep himself grounded, but it also helps him connect with his fans through his music.  

“My spiritual journey has taught me to be vulnerable, and I like to convey that through my music. Writing music is also therapeutic for me as well.”  One of the challenges Green faced in beginning his music career was establishing his own sound and not being pushed to make the sounds of others.  “There’s nothing wrong with comparisons,” Green said, “but it can distract from making your own sound when people want you to work for certain producers.” 

Samuel Green distinguishes himself from other R&B singers in that he derives his sound inspiration from his own experiences. “All of my music are staple moments from my life,” Green said, “People can relate to that, and I create emotional vibes. People nowadays would call it alternative R&B, but I always have a story to tell in my songs. My music does, however, give out that spaced out kinda vibe that gets you into the zone and makes you feel good. It’s very emotionally driven.”   

Green’s process for coming up with songs is something that hits throughout his days.  “Often I’ll be out running errands or working out, and if I come up with a song lyric or a melody I try to write it down somewhere or voice memo it. Sometimes I might hear the beat in my head first, or vice versa. Then I would go in the studio and let the producers know what I hear, and sometimes take a hand in producing. I love writing, and I’ve been writing poetry since I was a kid.”   

Through his music, Green wants to promote self-love by acknowledging your flaws by overcoming them. “Some of my friends call me Deacon because I’m always preaching about moving forward, and acknowledging your present moment in whether it’s anxiety, a broken heart, or love loss or whatever it is you’re going through so that you can grow from. My message to black men is that it’s okay to be vulnerable and be open about their emotions in life. As black people, we have such a vibrant culture; we have different shades of skin tone, masculinity, femininity, and art and we should embrace that.”  

From Samuel Green, be expecting another single, 8+ plus songs next year, more music videos, two projects, more collaborations with producers and fashion. Green will also be exploring different genres with musicians in different countries. “I’ll be playing with an EDM sound fused with funk, and I’m super excited for it.”