From viral TikTok clip to life-changing single, ‘Somewhere in the Middle’ has struck a chord far beyond South Yorkshire – and Sam Scherdel is just getting started. Exposed caught up with the artist to reflect on a gamechanging few months.
‘Somewhere in the Middle’ was fully released last month. What has the response been like since?
It’s probably changed my life. We recorded this record in Sheffield at Yellow Arch in June, and the plan was to start releasing it at the beginning of next year. I was messing about on TikTok last week (because I got told you have to use TikTok in this day and age) and I tried a bit of that song. Now, I’ve created a monster.
What do you think has made this single so well received?
A lot of people can relate to what the lyrics are about. It’s about two people having to make compromises and digging deep to make something work. I think a lot of people are in relationships where that’s very applicable. If you love somebody, you have to be willing to put that effort in. That’s the message. My songs are very candid – all the stuff that you don’t really see on a surface level with me, if you meet me as a person, kind of spills into the emotion of the songs.
Was there a moment when you knew you’d created a hit?
I knew I’d captured something special when we recorded that song. We did the demo in my home studio, and my little boy was in there with me. It was a magical moment – it was the first time he’d taken an interest in our music. I had about 20 demos for the EP and we were releasing four songs on it, but ‘Somewhere in the Middle’ was the one that the producer and everyone picked out, saying ‘we’ve got to jump on this’.
In the press notes, you’ve been compared to both Bruce Springsteen and Richard Hawley. Would you describe either of these artists as an inspiration to you, and have you borrowed anything from them?
Bruce Springsteen is a huge, huge influence. Richard Hawley is an influence, although I don’t particularly see my sound in Hawley. But he’s a massive influence – I absolutely adore Richard Hawley. He’s one of my heroes. I met him once actually, backstage at the Leadmill. It was incredible, he was such a nice bloke. Paolo Nutini is a massive influence, as well as Joe Cocker. Funnily enough, no one’s comparing me to Joe Cocker, and I think he’s exactly what I’m going for. I’m going for full Joe Cocker and no one’s picked up on it. He’s definitely one of my favourite singers of all time.
What’s your process for coming up with original music?
The way I write songs has always been the same: I’ll sit at the piano or with the guitar, and I’ll see what comes to me. It’s the chords and melody first, and I’ll write the lyrics after that. For me, the lyrics need to come quick. If they don’t come quick, they don’t mean anything. I normally just spitball and freestyle some stuff that I think fits. Some of the stuff I freestyle I actually end up liking and they make the final cut. There’s a lot of stuff like that in ‘Somewhere in the Middle’.
How does it feel to be sought after by the same songwriter behind Justin Bieber and Rag’n’Bone Man? Would you describe this as a turning point in your career?
It’s one hundred percent a turning point. I mean, no one’s taken any notice of us for years. I didn’t really put my foot back on the gas until three years ago but, since I started again, I’ve been relentless. I’ve approached it full time, and I’ve approached it with the respect it deserved. It just feels like me and the team have been banging and banging on doors and we’ve finally opened them.
You played to a big local crowd at Tramlines last year – how did that go down?
The response was great. I remember I was so nervous. We got picked from BBC Introducing to play there. I remember thinking that no one would show up for the Friday afternoon slot, but there were just swarms of them. It was great, I’d love to go back. Funnily enough, now we’ve blown up in America, the UK is still catching up a bit. But we’re just riding this wave and seeing what happens. It’s very surreal.
You’ve built this platform for yourself from the ground up, and it must be so gratifying to see your hard work paying off. What would you say are the main factors that enabled your success?
I mean, I went out with my drummer last night, just to get out of this bubble for a bit of normality. There were so many moving parts to this happening. I’ve been having so many meetings with people preparing for this moment so, when it happened, the infrastructure was there. I had the right contacts. Since ‘Somewhere in the Middle’ blew up, we’ve had to cancel everything. We’ve just been moving at a million miles an hour. The whole team is absolutely buzzing – we haven’t got a clue what comes next, but we’re ready to take it on.
Your upcoming EP, Boy Who Fell to Earth, has been described as ‘songs exploring the spaces between love, loss and hope’. Can you tell us some more about this?
There’s a serious, serious beauty in that record. ‘The Boy Who Fell to Earth’ is a song that I wrote about my little lad when he was born. It’s a beautiful song – when I first heard the strings in it, it nearly brought me to tears. I’ve never trusted anybody with that song. I never wanted to release that song until I trusted the producer with it, and when I worked with Colin Elliot on the record, I trusted him. I’d heard his work before and I knew he could bring out the beauty in it. The record is really cinematic – there’s a lot of stuff in four songs on that record.
How would you like the future of your music career to look?
I’ve always wanted to be a career artist and, since I’ve been writing and releasing music since 2009, I’ve demonstrated that I’m in this for the long run. I’m the happiest I am when I’m in the studio. I’m the most focused I am when I’m in the studio. And that’s what I’ve always needed to be doing. This is about the music for me, and it always will be.
