Catapulting to fame in 2019 with his smash-hit single, This City, Sam Fischer captured the world’s hearts and attention.
Over the next few years, he continued to dazzle with a string of hits, including some impressive features with artists like Meghan Trainor and Demi Lovato. Amidst the challenges posed by COVID-19 and other hurdles, Sam’s much-anticipated debut album, I Love You, Please Don’t Hate Me, finally emerged in December 2023 to rave reviews and an outpouring of love from his dedicated fan base.
The Music had the pleasure of catching up with Sam to chat about life since This City, including his debut album and his upcoming Aussie tour.
Reflecting on his move to LA to pursue music, Fischer admits to a complicated relationship with the city. He poured his heart out into the 2017 track, and by 2019, This City had blown up on TikTok. “I had really come to this point where I was like, ‘Okay, maybe I was just supposed to be a songwriter, or maybe the music industry just doesn’t want me at all,’” he reminisces.
“I didn’t know what TikTok was when This City blew up on it… We were still in this world of doing traditional marketing, if you had something working you just hammered it.”
Discussing the impact of TikTok on music marketing, Fischer shares, “The cycle is shorter than ever. Now I feel more pressure to put more music out, but at the time, I was just enjoying it.”
The next four years saw him slowly release new music, including his EP Homework and his 2021 single What Other People Say featuring Demi Lovato. The album, though always in the works, took longer to release than expected.
“It took too long, I’m aware of that,” Fischer admits. “There was so much crap that happened behind the scenes as to why it did… There was actually an entire album that I had written that the label said, ‘This is great, but it’s not you; let’s do something else.’ Some of those songs from that album are on the album, but I have an entirely new team for the best. There were some people that I worked with that didn’t really have my best interest at heart.”
With a new team and label that believed in him, Fischer was finally able to release his debut album, I Love You, Please Don’t Hate Me, in 2023.
Reflecting on the gruelling process, Fischer says, “I wish it had been this romantic process, but it wasn’t. It was a really ugly process, and I was pulling songs that I’d written in 2017 for the album… The magic for me started happening once I knew what songs were gonna be on the album and where to tailor them.
“I’m really proud of the album and I’m really proud of how it turned out, I’m just grateful that it came out. Everyone who worked on it is amazing, and I was really lucky to work with the people I got to work with.”
Having weathered the highs and lows, Sam now sits before me, radiating pride. He’s reached a point where he can forge ahead, evolving as an artist.
With his album released, he’s ready to dive into what truly fuels his passion – live performances. “Where I live is on the stage, like that’s what I wanna do. I feel like that’s the piece of the puzzle that’s been missing… people seeing me live,” he declares.
Never having performed a set without previously released singles, Sam eagerly anticipates sharing the deeper cuts from his album with his audience. His setlist is a comprehensive journey through his music, touching on almost every track from his album.
After Australia, it’s the rest of the world. “I’ve had some amazing times in Europe. I’ve never really done a headline in the US, so that’ll be really exciting, and then London is always really fun,” Fischer muses.
Yet, amidst these global adventures, Australia remains his heart and soul. “Australian crowds are the best in the world… kicking the world tour off in Australia is something that hopefully I’ll always do because it just feels right to give the home country first access to what the show is.”
As Sam gets ready to embark on his tour, he stands at the threshold of a new chapter in his musical journey, one that we can’t wait to see unfold. The tour starts in May, and tickets are still on sale, so grab them now to catch this rising star in some of Australia’s most iconic intimate venues.
Sam Fischer is touring across Australia this May. You can find tickets here.
SAM FISCHER
2024 AUSTRALIAN TOUR
Thursday May 9 – Meanjin/Brisbane, The Zoo
Friday May 10 – Eora/Sydney, Oxford Art Factory
Saturday May 11 – Naarm/Melbourne, Howler
