Sampha
Sampha's artful and emotive mix of R&B, pop, and electronic music isn't easily categorizable, and is further distinguished by a heartfelt vocal style that tends to sound as if it's on the brink of choking back tears. The artist established himself as a valued remixer and studio collaborator sought by emergent underground talents and mainstream stars alike, including SBTRKT, Jessie Ware, Drake, Beyoncé, and Kanye West. Process, his 2017 full-length debut, went Top Ten in his native U.K. and won the Mercury Prize. Following its release, Sampha humbly continued to assist a similarly vast range of artists, including Florence + the Machine, Alicia Keys, Actress, and Kendrick Lamar, most remarkably contributing to the latter's Grammy-winning Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. Lahai, the brighter and broader follow-up to Process, landed in 2023 with Sampha's introspective lyrics coalescing with inspirations such as his grandfather, fatherhood, time travel, and Afrofuturism.
The singer, songwriter, keyboardist, and producer, born Sampha Sisay, started making music in his early teenage years. In 2009, the South London native broke through with a remix of the xx's "Basic Space," which led to a busy schedule across 2010 and 2011. This period entailed collaborations with SBTRKT, Jessie Ware, and Lil Silva, as well as a solo debut with Sundanza, an EP issued on the Young Turks label. After a less eventful 2012, the following year Sampha was featured on Drake's "Too Much" and Beyoncé's "Mine," and issued Dual, his second Young Turks EP, an abstract and skeletal showcase for his fragile-sounding yet expressive voice. As he continued to work with fellow U.K. natives SBTRKT, Bullion, and FKA twigs, Sampha was also sought by more high-profile North American artists, and in 2016 alone appeared on Kanye West's The Life of Pablo, Frank Ocean's Endless, and Solange's A Seat at the Table. His own "Timmy's Prayer" (co-written by West) and "Blood on Me" were out by the end of the year as previews of his first full-length.
Process, recorded while Sampha was grieving the death of his mother, and released in February 2017, hit number seven in the U.K. and narrowly missed the Top 50 in the U.S. Later in the year, he made appearances on Drake's More Life and releases from Richard Russell's Everything Is Recorded project. Process went on to win the 2017 Mercury Prize, as well as Gilles Peterson's Worldwide Awards Album of the Year.
Over the next few years, Sampha contributed in various capacities to recordings by Loyle Carner, Alicia Keys, Headie One and Fred again.., Actress, and many other artists across genres. An expanded "bonus edition" of Process, released at the top of 2022, added two tracks previously available only in Japan. Later in the year, Sampha was heard on a pair of chart-topping albums: Kendrick Lamar's Mr. Morale & The Steppers (number one in the U.S.) and Stormzy's This Is What I Mean (a U.K. number one). Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers subsequently won Best Rap Album at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.
In June 2023, amid appearances on a slew of releases by SBTRKT, Laura Groves, and Kwes., along with Speakers Corner Quartet and Ragz Originale, Sampha delivered his first solo single in six years. The atmospheric "Spirit 2.0.," written with Yussef Dayes, Yaeji, and El Guincho, heralded the October release of Lahai, Sampha's second album. The rest of the set was similarly collaborative, with Groves, Ibeyi, and Speakers Corner member Kwake Bass accounting for a small fraction of the support.
© Andy Kellman /TiVo
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Discography
17 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Process (Bonus Edition)
Electronic - Released by Young on 3 Feb 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Too Much / Happens
Electronic - Released by Young on 12 Nov 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Double Standards (feat. Sampha)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Warner Records on 8 Feb 2024
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
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