Q&A: Sam Austins Makes His Debut with 'HOMELESS STAR'
DETROIT-BORN, NOW LA-BASED Sam Sam Austins has recently released his debut project titled HOMELESS STAR. Billboard has described him as a ‘boundary-breaker, challenging long-held ideas of what it means to be an alternative artist’. He went from couch surfing through friends’ houses to legendary release parties and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. With singles that precede this release - “KILOS”, “JOY FOR YOUTH”, and “DRIFTING AWAY” - Austins explains life before luxury. He vividly describes living through summers in Detroit, feelings of nostalgia, rebellion, and bravery, as well as finding yourself in a sea of the unknown.
HOMELESS STAR truly blew me away. The feelings described above are so perfectly translated through Austins’ music that made the listening experience completely immersive. “DRIFTING AWAY” has to be one of my top tracks overall, with the accompanying visual you can’t help but feel Austins’ emotions first hand. Each song off this project is so different from the last but comes together in just the right way to tell a story that needed to be explored.
The Luna Collective had the opportunity to speak with Sam and learn more about the inspiration behind this project, the path his career has followed, as well as what we can expect to see from him in the future.
LUNA: Hello Sam! Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us We have been absolutely loving your new mixtape. So to get right into the interview, I am hearing that we are both native to the Detroit, Michigan area. It’s exciting to see new artists emerging from that area, especially in a variety of musical genres. How do you feel like growing up in Detroit has gotten you to this point in your life as well as influenced your music?
SAM AUSTINS: Hello! First off — thank you so much for listening. I appreciate any second spent listening to me speak my truth. Growing up in Detroit breeds grit, and I don’t think there’s many, if any, places realer than Detroit. My stories within the music are very much rooted in that reality. And even stepping away from that, music history is such a big part of where we’re from. Innately, I take from that without even noticing.
LUNA: You are described as a ‘boundary-breaker’ who is ‘challenging long-held ideas of what it means to be an alternative artist’. That seems like quite a quote to live up to, how do you do it? As someone who is new to your music, what are some things you have done in your personal life and career that allows you to live up to such a statement?
SAM AUSTINS: Alternative music is a very broad overview of a genre, in my opinion, right? So many different niches, you have alt-indie, alt r&b, alt pop, all these different pockets. I've yet to scratch the surface on my mission here, but being a black artist from Detroit, creating the music you’re hearing with stories often untold in this space is where we begin transcending the labels that are put on us, the artists.
LUNA: Your newest project titled HOMELESS STAR was recently released on October 22. Tell me about it! What is the inspiration behind it and what was the process like behind its creation?
SAM AUSTINS: I've been working on HOMELESS STAR since before a song was even written for it. It's a journal of my deepest thoughts and emotions recalling from experiences when I was homeless, moving from space to space with no money or security, living out of my car, and eventually moving into my aunt’s for a roof over my head. I had to write hundreds of songs for this project to get to the ten that felt like a pure summary of my upbringing.
LUNA: You previously stated that this project “is for the kid finding their way in a world that people tell them they don’t belong in”. What songs do you feel best represent that feeling and what would you say to that kid to help them overcome anything or anyone holding them back?
SAM AUSTINS: “DRIFTING AWAY,” “MISTER BLUE,” “YOUNGBLOOD,” HOMELESS, really the whole project. When I was a kid, I was bullied and ostracized for every little thing. How I looked, my skin color, the way I spoke, literally everything. On the school bus, I was forced to defend myself, or lay low and hope no one would fuck with me. I would sit with my head against the window, headphones in, and tune the world out with what felt like a safe place to me. Music. So I write the music I do for that same kid, going through the same trouble I did. HOMELESS STAR is written as a soundtrack for those kids, on the school bus, looking for that safe place to be themselves. And to those kids, I say “you are loved, you have a purpose in this life, and you are always meant for something more than what’s right in front of you.”
LUNA: What are some things we can expect to see from you in the future?
SAM AUSTINS: There’s a lot of fun things I'm working on — including meeting new fans on the road when I start touring.
LUNA: Last but not least, now being LA-based, what are some things you miss about Detroit? Any places/restaurants/etc. you can recommend?
SAM AUSTINS: I miss everything but if there’s any place I miss, it’s the creative spaces that hold the artists. Detroit is such a beautiful city widespread with so many amazing creatives, in all art forms. No one does it like our city, so I'm always excited to get back home and connect with everyone I can.
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