Sampa The Great
Photo by Travys Owen
(NOTE: the above video is required viewing for today’s episode). Hand on heart, what a perfect episode to return with after a short break. This is a talk that’s been in the making for quite a while and the amount of joy I have in getting to share this with you is insurmountable. My guest today is the incomparable Sampa The Great, a singer-songwriter, poet, and rapper from Zambia and Botswana who’s fiercely unapologetic about what she stands for. For years, Sampa has largely been part of the Australian music scene but has branched out internationally due to her universal messages of having pride towards where you come from and allowing that to help you in figuring out where you’re going. Sampa’s been praised by NPR, The Fader, Noisey, Complex, NME, and pretty much the whole fucking world agrees: Sampa the Great is just unbelievable.
Each Sampa The Great song is like a shot of espresso full of the experiences of a black woman whose creativity is continuously awe-inspiring. Sonically, Sampa tends to even surprise herself by now allowing her rap abilities to pigeonhole her within the genre. Play any of her songs and you’ll be gobsmacked at how she’s been able to integrate elements of R&B, pop, dance, and even flecks of punk rock into her art.
On today’s episode, I chat with Sampa about the defining moments of her career, such as performing Final Form at the ARIAS (aka the Australian equivalent of the Grammy’s), releasing a massive album like The Return, and the act of rediscovering herself in her native Zambia and Botswana during the pandemic. There’s an assertive manner in which Sampa speaks which echoes how she knows who she is, what she stands for, and what’s important to her, and man…getting to hear her impart her words of wisdom was such a gift and a privilege, truly.
If you’re in Europe you’ll have loads of chances to catch Sampa live this summer throughout the festival circuit, starting this Thursday at Primavera in Barcelona, followed by Friday at Best Kept Secret in Holland.
Sampa and her band will also be performing here in New York on July 23rd at a free gig at Herbert Von King Park in Brooklyn. Be sure to visit Sampathegreat.com for more info on her tour dates.
After you hear the episode, be sure to check out not just 1 but 2 Sampa The Great tracks on the official New Exchange Playlist (Final Form and her recent tune Lane featuring Denzel Curry). Also, be sure to follow Sampa The Great on Spotify, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
