Today we’d like to introduce you to Sammy Hakim.
Hi Hakim, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ve always been in love with music. I’ve been composing since I was a child, though my first memorable attempt at songwriting in the modern sense was when I was 13 years old. I was taking a studio engineering course and the engineer asked if I wanted to record some of the songs I’d written and I said sure, the rest is history.
I was an artist releasing my own music from ages 13-17 and I wasn’t really sure I wanted to continue it – but I knew I loved writing songs, so I decided I was either going to go to college or pack up my life and move to Nashville to pursue my career. I got into Berklee College of Music in Boston where I deceided to attend before making the move to New York City where I really fell in love with the session scene and writing songs for other people. After a year in New York, I moved to Los Angeles where I’ve been for the extent of COVID, primarily working as as session writer.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I would say every road in music has its bumps. I’ve been fortunate to have a great support system that believes in me and that’s helped me through the personal and professional struggles – It’s not easy, but it is rewarding. You just have to know your worth and take everything as it comes.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a songwriter known for my emotional left-of-center approach to lyric writing. I think what sets me apart from others is the experiences I’ve had and my personal approach and love for music. Everyone in this industry is unique and brings their own flare to the table which is why collaborating is such a powerful tool. There’s something really magical about your own stories and experiences helping with and becoming part of someone else’s.
I’m most proud of the songs I’ve written with and for others that help tell their stories. In the past year I’ve had releases with TIMMS, Prince Fox & Lena Leon, and Heather Sommer as well as having some cool new songs that are in the pipeline and hopefully will be released to the world very soon.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Someone once told me that songwriting is like asking a stranger two minutes and forty seconds of their time to tell them a story while they’ve got a screaming baby on one shoulder and they’re reaching for cereal on the top shelf in the grocery store.
Writing songs that person is going to remember and cherish won’t work every time. You just have to keep writing and writing until you write something special enough that it breaks through. And eventually it will. So keep going.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sammyhakim/
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/iamhakim/sets/songsimapartof
