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Every Monday we will be bringing you interviews with UK or Ireland artists for Independent Music Monday. Recently we caught up with Saddleworth artist Samedi to find out more…

Where are you from and how did you first get into music?
I was born in Oldham and have lived in and around Saddleworth since I was a baby. My mum and dad both being hippies have great music taste and was surrounded by music from a young age. My dad was also in a band when he was younger so I’ve always wanted to follow in his footsteps in some sense I suppose. I first started playing the piano at around 10 as we had a pianola at home that my grandad used to play so my dad started to teach me a few chords and it just stemmed from there really. Music was also a big part of my teenage years as me and my younger brother Alphin and two of our friends started a band – Kül Tablasi – playing a selection of gigs around Manchester from the Castle to The Deaf Institute and a few inbetween.

Who were your musical influences when you were growing up and who are your influences now?
Arctic Monkeys, like many my age were a favourite of mine. The usual suspects such as The Beatles and Michael Jackson were also two of my most frequently listened to artists. More recently I’ve been really enjoying Tame Impala and Harry Styles. The prog rock kind of feel mixed with the pop accessibility to them really makes for great listening in my opinion! I’d also like to mention Djo. His third album has just been released and I’ve had it on repeat recently. His second album was the same story too! Absolutely no skips.

How would you describe your sound?
My first single is definitely just a little slither of what’s to come. It’s an upbeat summer tune to listen to in the car with the windows rolled down. I’m hoping to have a couple more singles out in the next few months with the hope of an album towards the end of the year or the start of next. I don’t want the album to sound really same same however so expect a mix of rock, pop and ballads!

What is your latest release called and what was the influence behind it?
Birdsong is my debut single. It was a song I wrote when I was 19 and forgot about until recently. It needed some love and tweaking but I’m really happy with how it sounds now! Definitely has a coming of age teen pop film feel to it!

What’s your local music scene like?
In Saddleworth alone there are so many local artists throwing out great music! From the likes of Madame Claude representing the Ska scene to Archie Burke who’s just released his debut single too – On The Up. There’s also Red Light Factory who – if you’re a fan of Arctic Monkey’s Humbug – you’ll absolutely love the couple of proper bangers they’ve released.

What do you have planned for the next 12 months?
As I briefly mentioned earlier the plan is definitely to have an album finished soon! I’m working on around 10/12 songs and they’ve all got a unique feel to them. Really looking forward to seeing how they all end up. I’m also exploring the possibilities of doing some live shows with a full band so that’s something to keep an eye on too!

Is there anyone you’d love to collaborate with?
I’d actually be quite intrigued to collaborate with a DJ who has a track ready but just needs lyrics. I did a similar project with Seb Naylor and loved the process so that’s definitely something I’d be open to do again in the future.

Any funny stories surrounding your live performances?
To be fair, with the band, luckily we were quite uneventful in terms of mishaps and what have you. We did once do a gig at Club Academy and our opening song was quite a long intro with no drums I walked on stage without my drumsticks and didn’t realise until about 10 seconds before I needed to come in. Let’s just say the guitarist didn’t appreciate having to prolong his solo.

With my self however, I’ve spent the last couple of years gigging in local pubs and bars and was asked by my good friend to play at his son’s christening. Half way through the set, spilt my pint all over my keyboard. Would not recommend, it’s hard to find a bowl of rice big enough for a keyboard to fit in. Had to rush home and get my backup one. Not a gig I look back fondly on but at least I finished the set and I’m pretty sure everyone was too drunk to notice the small interlude!

Do you have any upcoming live dates and performances?
Not at the moment unfortunately but hopefully soon!

What is the one thing that you want readers to know about you?
That yes, my name is French for Saturday. No, I wasn’t born on a Saturday. No, I’m not French. No, neither are my parents.

They liked Sam but thought it was too short, and weren’t overly in love with Samuel so my dad said – as they walked to the pub – ‘what about Samedi?’. I’m told to believe he was half joking but my mum absolutely loved it and here I am 26 years later.

You can find out more about Samedi via Apple Music, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify or TikTok.