It’s been minute since we heard from R&B singer Sammie.
You may remember him as the kid whose hit “I Like” had us jamming in middle school, but we’ve followed Sammie as he matured and went from the sandlot to your girl’s inbox and he has since delivered countless hits like “You Should Be My Girl,” which was a college party banger during the snap music era, and “Come With Me,” the timeless song praising young women on the come-up. And let’s not forget “Kiss Me Thru The Phone,” his hit with Soulja Boy that had everyone caking over the phone during cuffing season. Needless to say, Sammie has always found a way to make you dance and have the ladies feeling good.
We recently caught up with Sammie on the heels of releasing his latest EP I’m Him and, after an eight-year hiatus from the music game, he stepped into the interview with the cool and collected demeanor of an industry vet. Here’s what he’s been up to since we last heard his music.
You got into the game at age 12. Do you think you were prepared for it?
I was 12 years young. [In] 1999, I got my start and my first deal was with Capital Records right out here in L.A. When you’re that young and that successful you don’t understand the business aspect of things. I just know girls were loving me and I would go out on stage and do my thing.
Do you think your training prepared you for the early success that you had?
I’m a child that had artist development, media training, choreography. You know signing and dancing at the same time. I derived from that.
Watch and read more of the interview below.
As you matured what made you step away from music for a while?
It’s been like eight years from a mainstream standpoint. Truth be told, I was just going through some business issues. You hear the stories and I actually experienced it. But I started writing behind the scenes. I co-wrote “Next Breath” for Tank in 2012 and that kinda opened my mind up to not just start writing my own material, but writing or others artists. So that’s really what I was honing in on and thenm out of nowhere, God propelled me back to the forefront with the records I’m Him. So now that I understand the business aspect of things, it’s very instrumental in everything I do.
You talk about treating a woman right and making sure that she is pleased. Do you feel that this is a subject matter that’s been missing from music?
I don’t know when it became not cool to please women. If you’re in the R&B world, that’s what we do it for. But music is also a responsibility; if you’re an artist and you have a platform, it should not be just bashing women. It shouldn’t be anything that is just toxic. I think I’m Him is a record that can bring R&B back and give girls hope.
On “Impatient,” you flipped the melody from Ginuwine’s “Pony” and really made the song your own. How did it come together?
I just wanted to make a great blend from the ’90s to the current. And it’s a sensual side. A lot of fans hadn’t seen me talk like that on a record as far as the content is concerned. But it’s also familiar because of the ‘Pony’ reference.
What can fans expect on the project?
It’s a six-song compilation, all original music, and it’s just me — no features. I have been gone for a long time so I want fans to get a gist of who Sammie is as an adult, opposed to who they know as a kid or even a teenager. It’s all about evolution. I really feel like I have the formula to mix in the old with the new to where it’s something fresh and innovative and something that is much needed and necessary in this thing called R&B.
If this is a sample of what Sammie is bringing back to the R&B game, we’re looking forward to it. Take a listen to his new EP.