Life & Work with Samantha Petersen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Petersen.

Hi Samantha, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve always been involved in music at a young age. I was mostly a singer growing up. I was always in choir, trying out for talent shows and musicals, and had a real love for singing. In college, I chose to use music as my outlet from school. I participated in the jazz choir throughout college but put music on the back burner to figure out what I wanted to study in school.

After many years of working with students and children, and losing my job to COVID, my whole world shifted back into music. With the extra time I had, I realized that music was a missing piece to my happiness and I owed it to myself to try out new things and not put expectations on it. During COVID I purchased a ukelele and watched YouTube videos online in hopes that I could eventually move on to learning guitar.

After about a year of learning the ukulele, I decided to pick up my guitar. I used a lot of online resources to start my journey in learning guitar, but started diving in after meeting another local musician, Christine Alice at a local show. Christine and I started doing more in-depth lessons on the guitar which soon turned into hanging out and creating new music together. About a year after playing local open mic nights, playing out in a band, and writing my music, I knew that I wanted to make music my full-time job.

Now, three years later, I have continued my journey in music, from joining my all-girl band Fancy Bites, winning a local songwriters competition, and releasing my music. I’ve been challenged to play new instruments, encouraged to take risks, and have been cherishing the new journey of music that I’ve been on.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been a semi-smooth road! When I first started playing live shows, I was also working full time with a job that was draining me emotionally and mentally.

I felt a huge pull between the job I had for many years and what my heart was yearning for in music. I had been reaching out to a ton of local venues looking for any kind of shows to play, while also trying to balance a schedule that was no longer serving me.

It was also difficult for me to share the step of pursuing music full-time with my family because I didn’t have a plan! For the first time in my life, I was deciding how I was spending my time, how I needed to make money, and how I was going to do it all.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My mainstream work is through being a singer. I play many solo shows throughout Colorado while accompanying myself on my acoustic guitar. I’ve been working and collaborating with other music professionals on their projects, as well as working on releasing more original music.

As a recent winner of the Northern Colorado Songwriters Series, I’ve been continuing to write original songs in the hope of releasing my first EP in 2024. In my music, I love using harmony stacks to help envelope listeners’ ears and have my music bring them into my stories about love, lust, adventure, and heartache.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting.
If you’re just starting in music and you’re not sure where to start I’d highly recommend going to open mic nights! My first time playing my guitar and singing live was at an open mic night, where the stakes were low, and I was able to play a song or two among friends and family that I had invited out.

Going to open mic nights is also a great way to meet other musicians! I’ve learned so much from being around other music professionals who have challenged me and pushed me to do things I might not have done on my own. It’s also given me opportunities like playing new venues, collaborating on projects, and being an opener for touring bands.

Always be open, kind, and honest about your journey, and you’ll find the right people on the way!

Contact Info:

• Website: SamanthaErinMusic.com
• Instagram: @SamanthaErinMusic
• Facebook: Facebook.com/theofficialsamemusic

Image Credits
Callie Ann Photography, Dark Moon Studios, and Robert Lujan Photography