A Chat with Samantha Fish (24.09.2025)
Interview with Karen Beishuizen (Guest contributor)
Samantha Fish is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter. Her work features and draws from multiple genres, including rock, country, funk, bluegrass, and ballads. We talk about her career, her music style, her new album Paper Doll, her collaboration with Bobby Harlow and more.
Did you always want to be a singer and musician growing up?
Samantha: I didn’t really connect with music until my late teens. Once I did though, there was really nothing else that I wanted to pursue. I did want to get into acting as a kid, though. I think I went through a couple of other phases as well. Nothing ever hit me as hard as my passion for music.
At what age did you start playing guitars and who influenced you?
Samantha: I was 15. My dad showed me scales and chords. His friends all played as well. I had a lot of inspiration around me. I loved rock n’ roll and later connected the dots to blues music.
What would you call your music style? Many say blues?
Samantha: I’d say it’s rooted in the blues. I have a passion for that style of music. Especially North Hill Country Blues, Delta blues, etc. I do like to incorporate other influences. The rock sound is pretty obvious. I also love soul music, from Detroit to Memphis. I love great singers. I like folk music, songwriters, and I love pop hooks. A good song is a good song, no matter the genre.
Are there any artists you would love to collaborate with or wish you had?
Samantha: Debbie Harry, Barbara Lynn, Poison Ivy of The Cramps… RL Burnside would have been cool. Allen Touissant, I’d love to be a fly on the wall in a writing session.
I let you make an album with 7 of your most favourite songs (not your own): what would you pick and why?
Samantha: I don’t really have “all-time favorite songs”. I have songs that suit different moods. And it’s way too hard to narrow to 7. So this is just right now… Buddy Guy – ‘Sweet Tea’ album is a masterpiece. I think I’d take that to a fictitious desert island.
You have a new album out since April this year, Paper Doll. How did the process go, and what are the songs about?
Samantha: The process was actually kind of complicated this time around. We had a pretty rigorous touring schedule last year, and I knew if I wanted to have an album for 2025, I needed to complete it in a certain amount of time. We chipped away at it on our days off on the road. That led to a cross-country trek between studios. I thought it would make it a lot more difficult, but honestly, I think the energy just helped to propel the album into this rock n roll “blood, sweat, and steam” territory. The song’s subject matter is pretty expensive as well. It’s about love, relationships and heartache, the road, the world, society, family, etc. Just the ups and downs of everything.
What is Bobby Harlow’s overall production style like, and what makes your collaboration work?
Samantha: I’ve worked with Bobby twice now, on ‘Chills and Fever’ and on this album, Paper Doll. About eight years apart. We are now in different places as artist and producer, but he still brought the same very passionate enthusiasm to every session. You can tell he really believes in the music that he’s got a hand in creating. I feel like he inspired us to do better when we needed to, and he helped me walk away at the right time. I love working with him; he’s really expressive and knowledgeable about so many styles of music. He’s not afraid of anything, and he knows when to push me.
What are you currently up to?
Samantha: Today, I’m currently between tours. Planning on touring for the rest of the year. Going to the West Coast, Japan, and the ‘Shake ‘em on Down Tour’ on the East Coast. Writing music in between, just looking towards whatever is coming next, while also delivering these songs on stage in real time with conviction
Thanks to Samantha Fish for speaking to us. To find out more about Samantha Fish on her official website, Facebook, X, TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.
