The Sam Willows
For information on individual band members, see Narelle Kheng, Benjamin Kheng, Sandra Riley Tang.
The Sam Willows is a local band consisting of Sandra Riley Tang, Jonathan Chua and siblings Benjamin Kheng and Narelle Kheng. They started posting covers of songs in 2012, with their first mashup cover of Hey Soul Sister and We Are Young going viral.[1] Subsequently, The Sam Willows signed on to record label Sony Music and has since gone on to perform both on the international and local stage, including having sold out concerts in Malaysia and Singapore.
Formation
Started in late 2011, the quartet had first grouped together to perform at their school’s alumni concert.[2] In May 2012, The Sam Willows uploaded their first mashup and cover of hit songs Hey Soul Sister by Train and We Are Young by Fun. The video went viral, this incident marked was their rise to fame as a household name. As of January 2019, the video has garnered 209,000 views on Youtube (Youtube video). Subsequently, they were invited to Mediacorp Channel 5’s countdown event “Celebrate 2013” and many more stages in the following years.[3]
In an early interview, Sandra stated that their band’s name ‘The Sam Willows’ is representative of their collective identity as a band, emphasizing on the “organic feel” that ‘Sam Willows’ implies.[4]
Discography[5]
2012
Shortly after their formation, The Sam Willows had gone on to produce their debut EP under Warner Music Singapore titled ‘The Sam Willows’.[6]
| Album | The Sam Willows (EP) | Duration |
| 1 | Crown | 1:55 |
| 2 | Crimson | 3:45 |
| 3 | Coming Train | 3:44 |
| 4 | Glasshouse | 4:16 |
| 5 | Nightlight | 5:20 |
| 6 | Epilogue | 2:03 |
2015
As part of Singapore’s 50th anniversary, The Sam Willows collaborated with Jimmy Ye (葉良俊), a Singaporean mandopop singer, to release the song ‘Come Back To You’ in the ‘Sing, Love’ Album produced by Red Roof Records.[7]
In addition, The Sam Willows had released 3 songs titled ‘Flags Up’, ‘Ordinary’ and ‘Champion’ under the compilation album ‘Songs Of The Games’ for the 28th edition of the Southeast Asia Games (SEA Games). Benjamin Kheng had released another song under the same album called ‘A Love Song - Unbreakable’.
Now signed to Sony Music Entertainment Asia Pacific, The Sam Willows released an album titled ‘Take Heart’. The album was recorded in Stockholm, Sweden where they had worked with renowned producers Harry Sommerdahl and Fredrik Häggstam. The former has produced tracks for popular UK boyband The Wanted.[8] The title song ‘Take Heart’ has reached over 1.6 million views on Youtube. The album was created around the theme of love.[9]
| Album | Sing, Love | Duration |
| 1 | Come Back To You (in Collaboration with Jimmy Ye) | 3:56 |
| Album | Songs Of The Games | Duration |
| 1 | Flags Up | 3:31 |
| 2 | Ordinary | 3:36 |
| 3 | Champion | 2:50 |
| 4 | A Love Song - Unbreakable (Benjamin Kheng) | 3:49 |
| Album | Take Heart | Duration |
| 1 | Rest Of Your Life | 3:21 |
| 2 | Take Heart | 3:49 |
| 3 | Taking All His Time | 3:41 |
| 4 | Riverdance | 4:14 |
| 5 | For Love | 3:56 |
| 6 | Stay | 3:35 |
| 7 | Not The Only One | 3:18 |
| 8 | All Time High | 4:10 |
| 9 | Glasshouse (Lillywhite Edition) | 3:50 |
2016
In 2016, The Sam Willows released a single titled ‘All Time High’.
| Single | All Time High | 4:10 |
2017
In 2017, The Sam Willows released a single titled ‘Keep Me Jealous’. They had worked with producer Fredrik Häggstam again for this single. They had managed to write the song within a day.[10]
On top of this, they released another single titled ‘Save Myself’, with 2 other versions - stripped and another in collaboration with Indonesian vocal group Gamaliél Audrey Cantika (GAC).
| Single | Keep Me Jealous | 3:07 |
| Single | Save Myself | 3:24 |
| Save Myself (Stripped) | 4:20 | |
| Save Myself ft. GAC | 3:21 |
2018
In 2018, The Sam Willows released their sophomore album ‘I Know, But Where’ which debuted number 1 on Singapore iTunes charts on the day of its release. The song ‘Robot’ and ‘Papa Money’ had been released earlier in February 2018. Their sophomore album centres around the song ‘Robot’ which addresses themes of depression.[11]
In addition to this, they also released their first Christmas EP.
| Album | I Know, But Where | Duration |
| 1 | Baby Don’t Shy | 3:33 |
| 2 | Keep Me Jealous | 3:07 |
| 3 | Lie Like A Lover | 3:11 |
| 4 | Thirsty | 3:21 |
| 5 | Say So | 3:58 |
| 6 | Papa Money | 3:27 |
| 7 | Need Your Number | 3:21 |
| 8 | Save Myself | 3:22 |
| 9 | Robot | 3:20 |
| 10 | Time We Try | 3:58 |
| 11 | Drive | 2:28 |
| Album | Christmas EP | Duration |
| 1 | I’m Gonna Be Loved - This Christmas | 3:31 |
| 2 | Silent Night | 4:03 |
| 3 | Let It Snow | 2:16 |
| 4 | Little Drummer Boy | 4:18 |
Past performances
Music festivals
| Date of Performance | Festival | Organizer | Location |
| March, 2013[12] | South by SouthWest (SXSW) Music Festival
The festival is held annually in March with artists from more than 60 countries performing.[13] |
SXSW, LLC | Austin, Texas, USA |
| March 2013 | Canadian Music Week (CMW)
CMW is a celebration of music across Toronto with comedy performances, film showcases and various performances.[14] |
- | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| 24th May 2013[15] | Digital & Music Matters
The 2013 edition of the festival had included the Youtube FanFest powered by HP. It is an event which aims to provide networking opportunities and includes the Music Matters Live Festival which has three nights of performances. |
Branded Ltd | Singapore |
| 22 September 2013[16], 21 September 2014[17], 18 September 2015[18] | Formula 1 (F1) Grand Prix
The F1 Grand Prix is a leg of the FIA Formula 1 Championship that features various performances each year. |
Singapore GP Pte Ltd. | Singapore |
| October 2013[19] | MU:CON 2013
The conference lasted 3 days and was held with the purpose of showcasing South Korea’s local talent as well as to provide a sharing platform for international groups as well.[20] |
Korea Creative Content Agency | Seoul, South Korea |
| October 2013 | Zandari Festa
In 2013, the second edition of Zandari Festa hosted around 350 international and local bands across the span of 3 days.[21] |
Zandari Culture Company | Hongdae, Seoul, Korea |
| November 2013 | West Australian Music (WAM) Festival
WAMFest is held mainly for the purpose of showcasing local music including artists, producers and bands.[22] |
WAM | Perth, Australia |
| 11 September 2016 | Ultra Music Festival Singapore
Ultra Music Festivals are held to showcase electronic dance music (EDM) artists worldwide. |
Ultra Enterprises Inc. | Ultra Park, Singapore |
| 20 August 2017[23] | Summer Sonic Festival
Summer Sonic is a three-day long rock festival that is held annually in Japan. Both international and local artist perform at this event.[24] |
Creativeman Productions[25] | Tokyo, Japan |
| 21 July 2018 | We The Fest (WTF)
WTF is Indonesia’s largest international music festival featuring artists from the region as well as world renown artists over the span of 3 days.[26] |
Ismaya Live | Jakarta, Indonesia |
| 4 August 2018 | Hyperplay Festival
Hyperplay is the first ASEAN esports and music festival featuring cosplay, esports competitions and music performances. |
Singapore’s Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), and the National Youth Council | Singapore Indoor Stadium, Singapore |
Performances
| Date of Performance | Event | Organizer | Location |
| 9 August 2015 | National Day Parade (SG50)
The Sam Willows was the opening act for the National Day Parade 2015. They had performed their rendition of the National Day Song ‘Home’ originally sung by Kit Chan. |
Singapore Armed Forces, NDP Executive Committee | The Padang, Singapore |
| 16 June 2015 | 28th Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games)
The Sam Willows performed at the closing ceremony of the 28th SEA Games with their song ‘Ordinary’ which was released in a compilation album for the games. |
Singapore Southeast Asian Games Organising Committee | The National Stadium, Singapore |
| 20 May (Manila) and 23 May (Singapore) 2016 | Little Mix “The Get Weird Tour 2016”
The Sam Willows was the opening act for British pop girl group, Little Mix, for two concerts of their tour. |
- | The Star Performing Arts Theatre, Singapore, and KIA Theatre Manilla, Philippines |
Concerts
| Date of Performance | Event | Organizer | Location |
| 5 March 2016 | The Sam Willows Live
The exclusive one-day concert had sold out. |
The Livescape group | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| 22 July 2016 | Take Heart Tour 2016
The concert was The Sam Willows’ first official concert that attracted 2,500 fans which featured Singaporean rapper ShiGGa Shay as well. The concert’s opening act include Singapore singer Sam Rui and Indonesian band The Overtunes. |
- | The Coliseum, Hard Rock Hotel Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore |
Achievements
Charts
Regional Spotify Charts
Their song ‘Take Heart’ garnered 4 million streams on Spotify and managed to appear on the regional Spotify charts.
Spotify’s Global Viral Chart
Their song ‘For Love’ managed to reach number 48 on Spotify’s Global Viral Chart.
Local iTunes Singles Chart
The Sam Willows’ single ‘Take Heart’ had managed to top the local iTunes chart for 3 days straight when it was released.
Achievements
Spotify’s Spotlight Campaign
The Sam Willows is the first Southeast Asian Artist featured in Spotify’s Spotlight Campaign across Asia.
Spotify’s ‘Top 25 Under 25’ (2015)
The Sam Willows was listed 23rd on the list, which features international artists including Ed Sheeran, Ariana Grande and Sam Smith.
Awards
Gold Status (2018)
The Sam Willows had achieved Gold status for four of their songs - ‘Keep Me Jealous’, ‘Papa Money’, ‘Save Myself’ and ‘Robot’. They have managed to attain more than 10 million streams in total for the four songs and were presented awards at 1880 (a private member’s club).
Nominee for ‘Best Southeast Asian Act’ - MTV Europe Music Awards (2015, 2017 & 2018)
The Sam Willows was nominated for the MTV awards for three years.
Youtube
The Sam Willows regularly upload videos to their Youtube channel (The Sam Willows channel). Their videos include covers, some games and challenges, as well as a recent series they have been working on called ‘Wandering Willows’. The series involves the quartet playing several challenges suggested by their viewers including The Try Not To Laugh Challenge and Fear Pong. Some of their most viewed videos include their cover of Meghan Trainor’s ‘All About That Bass’ and their cover on Taylor Swift’s ‘Blank Space’ which raked in 925,900 views and 740,200 views respectively.
In addition to this, The Sam Willows also starred in a series produced by famous Malaysian Youtubers TheMingThing called ‘Reasons Why You’re Still Single’ in 2017 as they tackle the topic of love with humour.
Movie
Young & Fabulous (2016)
The Sam Willows was part of the cast for the local film ‘Young & Fabulous’. The movie is the first in Singapore to be cosplay-themed. The comedic plot revolves around growing up and follows the main characters as they navigate through harsh parenting while trying to reach for their dreams. The Sam Willows played Jay Lee (Benjamin Kheng), Orange Tan (Narelle Kheng), Nadia Ang (Sandra Riley Tang), and Bamboo Ng (Jonathan Chua).
References / Citations
- ↑ Wong, PP. “Featured Writers: The Sam Willows”. Banana Writers. Accessed on 11 January 2019. Retrieved from: http://www.bananawriters.com/thesamwillows
- ↑ Sumayao, Marco. “The Sam Willows learn to grow up without ditching fun”. MTV Asia. July 13, 2018. Accessed on 11 January 2019. Retrieved from: http://www.mtvasia.com/news/8aemoz/the-sam-willows-learn-to-grow-up-without-ditching-fun
- ↑ “The Sam Willows”. MTV Asia. Accessed on 11 January 2019. Retrieved from: http://www.mtvasia.com/artists/f70k2a/the-sam-willows
- ↑ Wong, PP. “Featured Writers: The Sam Willows”. Banana Writers. Accessed on 11 January 2019. Retrieved from: http://www.bananawriters.com/thesamwillows
- ↑ “The Sam Willows”. Spotify. Accessed on 11 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0mXXLFHmd5bUHxkzaC9ujw
- ↑ Singh, Surej. “The Sam Willows talk their new album I Know, But Where and its "world of openness and love" “. Hear65. July 12, 2018. Accessed on 11 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://hear65.bandwagon.asia/articles/the-sam-willows-i-know-but-where-interview
- ↑ “Sing, Love”. SG50. Accessed on 11 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.sg/en/SG50/WhatsOn/2015/Sing%20Love.aspx?Past=Yes
- ↑ Eddino Abdul Hadi. “The Sam Willows' debut album is polished, but too happy-poppy”. The Straits Times. November 4, 2015. Accessed on 16 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/entertainment/the-sam-willows-debut-album-is-polished-but-too-happy-poppy
- ↑ Timwee. “The Sam Willows on their debut album Take Heart: "It's just the sound that we want to put out."”. Bandwagon. September 7, 2016. Accessed on 11 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.bandwagon.asia/articles/the-sam-willows-on-their-debut-album-take-heart-it-s-just-the-sound-that-we-want-to-put-out
- ↑ Peters, Daniels. “The Sam Willows: "We wrote 'Keep Me Jealous' in one day"”. Bandwagon. May 12, 2017. Accessed on 11 January 2019. Retrieved on: https://www.bandwagon.asia/articles/the-sam-willows
- ↑ “Learn the facts behind The Sam Willows' heartfelt 'Robot'”. MTV Asia. July 06, 2018. Accessed on 11 January 2019. Retrieved from: http://www.mtvasia.com/news/q0712a/learn-the-facts-behind-the-sam-willows-heartfelt-robot
- ↑ “SX Schedule”. SXSW. Accessed on 11 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://schedule.sxsw.com/2013/events
- ↑ SXSW”. SXSW. Accessed on 11 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.sxsw.com/festivals/music/
- ↑ Morton, Brian. “30 must-see shows at Canadian Music Week 2013”. blogTO. March 15, 2013. Accessed on 11 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.blogto.com/music/2013/03/30_must-see_shows_at_canadian_music_week_2013/
- ↑ “Music Matters 2013”. TimeOut Singapore. April 30, 2013. Accessed on 11 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.timeout.com/singapore/music/music-matters-2013
- ↑ “Line Up for the 2013 Formula 1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix”. Joven.at.heart. March 06, 2013. Accessed on 11 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://jovenatheart.com/2013/03/06/line-up-for-the-2013-formula-1-singtel-singapore-grand-prix/
- ↑ Lee, Crystal. “Your Last-minute Guide to F1 Singapore Grand Prix”. Honeycombers. September 17, 2014. Accessed on 11 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://thehoneycombers.com/singapore/last-minute-guide-f1-singapore-grand-prix/
- ↑ “The Sam Willows”. Eventfinda. Accessed on 11 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.eventfinda.sg/2015/the-sam-willows/singapore/marina-bay
- ↑ “The Sam Willows - SEOUL SEARCHING (Korea 2013)”. Facebook. Accessed on 11 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.218645721592963.1073741829.130837363707133&type=3
- ↑ “MU:CON Seoul gears up for second global music conference”. The Korean Herald. September 24, 2013. Accessed on 11 January 2019. Retrieved from: http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20130924000794
- ↑ “Zandari Festa”. Culture.pl. Accessed on 11 January 2019. Retrieved from: http://asia.culture.pl/en/node/7160932
- ↑ “WAM FESTIVAL 2013 Dig The New Breed”. X-Press Magazine. October 2, 2013. Accessed on 11 January 2019. Retrieved from: http://xpressmag.com.au/wam-festival-2013-dig-the-new-breed/
- ↑ Lee, Jia Wen. “The Sam Willows and Wicked Aura will take the stage at Summer Sonic 2017”. Bandwagon. June 28, 2017. Accessed on 11 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.bandwagon.asia/articles/the-sam-willows-wicked-aura-summer-sonic-2017
- ↑ “Summer Sonic (Tokyo)”. JNTO. Accessed on 11 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.japan.travel/en/spot/342/
- ↑ “Summer Sonic Festival”. Facebook. Accessed on 11 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://m.facebook.com/summersonicfestival/about
- ↑ “People are freaking out over Lorde, James Bay, alt-J, The Neighbourhood and Odesza at We The Fest 2018”. MTV Asia. February 09, 2018. Accessed on 11 January 2019. Retrieved from: http://www.mtvasia.com/news/vhhrs6/people-are-freaking-out-over-lorde-james-bay-alt-j-the-neighbourhood-and-odesza-at-we-the-fest-2018