Music moves people. Whether it’s authentic lyrics or instrumentals that elicit emotion, any genre of music has the ability to make an impact, and there are few artists who have mastered this combination better than Sam Fender.
From North Shields, England — a small town northeast of Newcastle — Fender is known to fans for his multifaceted talent and ability to make people feel understood through his openness about his past struggles with poverty and mental health and about how his life experiences have shaped him.
Fender has released three albums since 2019, in addition to several stand-alone singles. Conversations of gender and class are found in almost all his songs and encompass many different perspectives. Beyond social divisions, however, Fender’s music includes many songs about religion, mental health and suicide, the latter of which is very relevant because of the high suicide rates among young men in his hometown.
Mental health is an issue very close to Fender, and he often uses his platform to call attention to the neglected topic of men’s mental health.
“Something Heavy” is the penultimate track in Fender’s latest album, “People Watching,” and it describes the idea of everyone carrying personal baggage weighing them down. The lyrics “Oh, God, what’s in the water in this town/So many good people falling victim to the dark” in the song emphasize suicide is not an isolated incident, and that many people in Fender’s hometown have fallen victim to their own mental health or the “dark.” In discussing such heavy issues, Fender serves as a comforting figure to people who may feel alone in their struggles.
In addition to mental health, Sam Fender discusses feminist issues including cat-calling and the dehumanization of women in the song “Greasy Spoon,” and complex childhood relations through songs such as “Wild Long Lie” and “Leave Fast.”
His single, “Friday Fighting,” has commentary on young-male-perpetuated violence and how toxic masculinity leads to the normalization of physical outrage as a source of emotional release.
“Little Bit Closer,” from People Watching, takes a wider perspective, discussing how people use religion as an all-encompassing explanation for everyday occurrences. In the song, Fender states he “can’t live under the notion/That there’s no reason at all/For all this beauty and motion,” and finds it difficult to comprehend that a divine being is solely responsible for the world as we know it, a candid and refreshing perspective for a young artist present.
In a time when young people crave connection amid isolation and desensitization of global issues, Sam Fender shines as the voice of a generation.