Name: Sam Burton
Nationality: American
Occupation: Singer, songwriter
Current release: Sam Burton's Dear Departed is out via PIAS.

If you enjoyed this Sam Burton interview and would like to find out more about his music, visit him on Instagram, and Facebook.



Where does the impulse to create something come from for you? What role do often-quoted sources of inspiration like dreams, other forms of art, personal relationships, politics etc play?

I don’t know where the impulse to create comes from. I think it’s a wonderful mystery.

Anything can inspire me. The more I can fall in love with life the more I can be inspired.

For you to get started, do there need to be concrete ideas – or what some have called a 'visualisation' of the finished work? What does the balance between planning and chance look like for you?

I don’t do any planning. I just start writing and then at the end of the writing process I try and put the pieces together.

Is there a preparation phase for your process? Do you require your tools to be laid out in a particular way, for example, do you need to do 'research' or create 'early versions'?

No I’m not particular about it. I try and do the best I can with what I have.

For this record, Dear Departed, I was traveling a lot and couch surfing. I would just have to write when I could.

Do you have certain rituals to get you into the right mindset for creating? What role do certain foods or stimulants like coffee, lighting, scents, exercise or reading poetry play?

No I don’t need anything like that. Creating a mood with incense and environment can be really helpful but it can quickly become a distraction. Just start writing.

What do you start with? How difficult is that first line of text, the first note?

I start with melody and guitar and add lyrics later. I always feel like I’ll never be able to do it again. It’s always a surprise when it happens.

It’s sometimes difficult or slow and other times fluid. It’s like a cat or something. Just keep going back and try and let it come to you.

When do the lyrics enter the picture? Where do they come from? Do lyrics need to grow together with the music or can they emerge from a place of their own?

Lyrics are written after the melody is done. But I think I try to make them emotionally fit the melody so they are connected.

What makes lyrics good in your opinion? What are your own ambitions and challenges in this regard?

I don’t know what makes lyrics good - if I did I’d write good lyrics.

I’m interested in lyrics that reflect the soul of the individual. I don’t much care for clever tricks or campaigns or things that pander to a collective group.

But I don’t care what other people do, really. I like writing lyrics because I can explore myself. I don’t write them to have “good” lyrics.

Once you've started, how does the work gradually emerge?

The work gradually emerges naturally and it is a personal joy of mine to see it become something.

Many writers have claimed that as soon as they enter into the process, certain aspects of the narrative are out of their hands. Do you like to keep strict control over the process or is there a sense of following things where they lead you?

For me there is a tension of control and letting go and allowing a flow. Both are required for me.

Often, while writing, new ideas and alternative roads will open themselves up, pulling and pushing the creator in a different direction. Does this happen to you, too, and how do you deal with it? What do you do with these ideas?

I follow all of them. I've found that the tributaries are usually shorter than I think.

I’ve also found for myself that when I think one song is very different from the rest it usually isn’t. No point corralling the muse into a little pen.

There are many descriptions of the creative state. How would you describe it for you personally? Is there an element of spirituality to what you do?

Yes I believe it can be spiritual. It can also be bankrupt. It depends on me and how I’m interacting with it.

Especially in the digital age, the writing and production process tends towards the infinite. What marks the end of the process? How do you finish a work?

I’m not somebody who edits a lot. I write quickly. I do most of the editing in the writing process.

Once a piece is finished, how important is it for you to let it lie and evaluate it later on? How much improvement and refinement do you personally allow until you're satisfied with a piece? What does this process look like in practise?

Sometimes I’ll return to finished songs with fresh ears but it’s not a principle of mine to let something be for any amount of time. I usually know what I like and what I don’t.

What's your take on the role and importance of production, including mixing and mastering for you personally? How involved do you get in this?

Production is as important as anything else. I’m usually involved the whole time.

After finishing a piece or album and releasing something into the world, there can be a sense of emptiness. Can you relate to this – and how do you return to the state of creativity after experiencing it?

I do relate to this a bit yes although I don’t like the idea of being empty or full based on my album writing. There is so much more to life going on.

But at the release it is the beginning of a new chapter and that can be daunting sometimes.

Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you personally feel as though writing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

I don’t believe it’s inherently different. I don’t completely believe in the idea of the mundane task. There are monks who sweep with the floor with more spirituality than most songwriters trying to write a song that will sell. It’s all about how one approaches it.

Every task contains all of life in it.