SAMMY WILK SET FOR LONDON SHOW
Sammy Wilk is set to play London O2 Islington Academy 2 on Sunday 6th October. Tickets are on sale now, available HERE!
There is an authenticity and purity of spirit that shines through anything Sammy Wilk does. Long before he even realized it, that authenticity was the driving factor in his artistry: at each turn, he has made music that makes him happy, from Hip-Hop to Ska, Reggae, Pop and R&B.
“I took 2018 to figure out what really drives me,” Sammy explains. “I always tell people, ‘Do what you love. Do what makes you happy.’ That’s what I want my music to represent. I make music that makes me happy. I think that’s the best way I can inspire and motivate others.” Sammy’s self-awareness leads to the type of honest songwriting the world of music can never get enough of.
Kicking off a new chapter in his artistic journey with the track “Lift Off,” he deftly taps into that honesty, reflecting on his experiences in the industry while examining all the different sides of success, both dark and light, and what people will do to chase that. “I wrote ‘Lift Off’ about all of the things that come with success,” says Sammy. “I love the direction that the music industry is going in right now, but there is a lot of subject matter that only talks about the money, girls, and cars. But who’s going love you when the money is not there anymore? You hear it time and time again that money doesn’t create happiness, it starts from within yourself.”
Growing up in Omaha, Nebraska, Sammy developed quite the eclectic taste in music. Like many in his generation, he fell in love with Hip-Hop at an early age. By the time he was in middle school, a family friend introduced him to two things that would forever change the course of his life: reggae and a guitar. When he began to release music a few years later, he had mastered the guitar and learned how to infuse island music into other genres of music that he enjoyed - Pop, Hip-Hop and R&B - to create a sound that simultaneously fit into the spaces each of those genres occupied at the time while also bringing a fresh perspective to the table. Thanks to the powers of social media and the freedom of online distribution, Sammy was able to play by his own rules while he found a strong following that welcomed his music in any and all formats. “A lot of my fans had never really been exposed to island music before,” he recalls. “Because I was able to build such a personal relationship with them online, they were always happy with the music, as long as I was happy with it.”
The success of his early music not only proved that he was onto something, it also caught the attention of the reggae community, leading to a collaboration with Ky-Mani Marley on the song “Light Up,” one of the standout tracks from Sammy Wilk ’s debut EP, Ready For War. Sammy’s unique sound also landed him on two national tours, where he admits, he honed his skill as a performer without ever quite knowing what he was doing. Armed with a dream and a determination to win, he reached all of these benchmarks on his own terms.
That dream took on a new meaning when, in 2017, he took his first trip to Africa. “Before I left, I felt like I was just going through the motions,” says Sammy. “And while I was in Malawi, my name kind of came to me as an acronym: Simply using my Actions, Music and Words to Inspire the Lives of Kids. And I kind of took that on as my mission.” In addition to using his music to inspire, he went on to launch the clothing line WILK, which benefits various non-profits, with a focus on schools in the sub-saharan region of Africa.
Upon returning to the U.S., Sammy Wilk landed a deal with the KSR Group, the production and management company that has played a role in the success of such acts as Cardi B and HoodCelebrityy. He quickly began putting pen to paper, working on new music over the past year. Now he is back to doing what he loves: creating music that simply makes him happy
With a slew of new material on the way, we’ll soon be able to hear the new Sammy Wilk. Driven by passion, Sammy is ready to set the world ablaze, breaking down every barrier and expectation along the way, starting with a show in London at O2 Islington Academy 2 on Sunday 6th October. Get your tickets now, available here!
Tour Dates
Sun 6th October – London O2 Islington Academy 2