Sam Scherdel

Jun 25, 2026 | Interviews

Words by Glenn Sargeant

Feature Image Photo Credit: Tom Sunderland

Singer-songwriter and musician Sam Scherdel will be performing at American Express Presents BST Hyde Park on Sunday 5th July 2026. He kindly chatted to us:

What is your earliest musical memory?

Probably buying my first record from Woolworths on Mexborough High Street after a drum lesson. I’d had one lesson and been given a snare drum by my uncle. I remember seeing Oasis perform “All Around The World” on TV and that was it – I was hooked. That would have been around 1997, so I was about nine years old.

When did you begin songwriting?

I think I was around 12 or 13 when I wrote my first song. It was called It’s Over Today and was written in the key of C. I then got into some of the early DAWs when I was 16 or 17 and started taking songwriting more seriously.

I had my first play on BBC Introducing Sheffield – then called Raw Talent Sheffield – in 2008 with a song called Happy. Funnily enough, I can still remember the chords and melodies to both songs.

Which of your tracks hear you at your happiest, angriest and most reflective?

Happiest: Thank You

Angriest: Balloon

Most reflective: Lifer

All three will be available very soon.

One of your tracks is “Somewhere In The Middle”. What was the story or inspiration behind the track?

A lot of people seem to relate to it. At its core it’s about two people making compromises and digging deep to make something work. I think that’s true of a lot of relationships. If you love somebody, you have to be willing to put the effort in.

My songs tend to be very candid. The things people don’t necessarily see on the surface when they meet me often spill out through the music.

Was it a difficult song to write?

I find the best songs are usually the easiest to write. If they’re coming from a genuine place, they tend to arrive quite naturally.

This one certainly did. Songs become little placeholders in your life. Writing them isn’t always difficult, but revisiting them years later and remembering exactly where you were emotionally can be.

Do you have any further music releases planned for 2026/27?

All will be revealed very soon.

Where is your hometown and could you describe it in five words?

Mexborough, South Yorkshire.

Proud. Resilient. Working-class. Humorous. (Sadly, Somewhat) forgotten

How do you look after your voice?

To be honest, I never really had much of a routine until last year. I’ve probably been quite lucky with how my voice has held up because I’ve gigged heavily for years.

The only time I’ve ever really lost it was after Texas this year. We played four shows in five days, it was incredibly hot, there were late nights and plenty of shouting in noisy bars. It’s basically the perfect recipe for laryngitis.

Since then I’ve become a bit more sensible – a nebuliser, honey, lemon and occasionally a little rum wine or whiskey seem to do the trick.

You will be performing on Sunday 5th July 2026 at BST Hyde Park. How did that opportunity arise and how are you feeling about the show?

It feels like a natural progression for us and for where we’ve taken the live show. We had been looked at by agents at our last London show and we got offered it at the 11th hour, were very aware of the prestige of Hyde Park, and myself and the whole team are so so excited for it

I launched this project four years ago after being made redundant. Since then we’ve had to learn everything as we went, figure the industry out for ourselves and build things from the ground up.

We’re incredibly proud to have landed a spot at BST Hyde Park and can’t wait to get out there.

Do you have any further UK or European dates planned for 2026/27?

We’ve got a lot to announce in the second half of the year.

Things have moved incredibly quickly since Somewhere In The Middle was released and the landscape around us has changed dramatically. Hopefully by the time we walk on stage at Hyde Park we’ll be able to share a lot of what we’ve been quietly working on.

It’s been a long and very interesting road to get here.

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you’ve left the stage?

Firstly, that everyone watching has had a brilliant time.

Secondly, hopefully we’ve earned ourselves a few more invitations to stand on stages of that size.

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?

I use custom-built guitars made by Arundel Guitars in Beverley. My go-to electrics are a Telecaster and a 335, while acoustically I tend to switch between a jumbo and a nylon-string.

I don’t get too technical with pedals. My brain usually has enough going on without worrying about what’s happening at my feet as well.

You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?

English Literature was one of the few subjects at school that really connected with me.

I’d probably choose Of Mice and Men. There’s something timeless about the tragedy and humanity in that story. It would suit the kind of melancholic, emotional music I naturally gravitate towards.

Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?

My influences are all over the place. Like a lot of kids growing up in the late ’90s and early 2000s, I went through an angsty phase listening to bands like Nirvana and Oasis. As I got older, though, I became increasingly fascinated by songwriting and that’s what eventually led me to The Beatles. Once I properly discovered their catalogue, it completely changed the way I thought about music, melody and songcraft.

Being from South Yorkshire, Joe Cocker was always a huge point of reference too. Whether the comparison is fair or not, I’ve had people compare the grit and texture of my voice to his over the years, and coming from the same part of the world that’s obviously a massive compliment.

Other artists who’ve had a big influence on me include Bruce Springsteen, Paolo Nutini, John Grant, Ray LaMontagne, Gregory Alan Isakov and Gang of Youths. They’re all artists who can make something deeply personal feel universal, and that’s something I’ve always tried to do in my own writing.

If I could recommend one thing, it would be to spend more time listening to full albums rather than playlists. That’s where you really get to understand an artist’s journey, influences and intent.

What makes Sam Scherdel happy and what makes you unhappy?

Ambition, belief and keeping my focus on the future rather than the past.

I’ve spent a lot of my life trying to find peace in what can sometimes be a very noisy brain. Music helps with that.

It’s been a long journey to get where I am today and I know I haven’t always been the best version of myself. But I think life is about learning, moving forward and continuing to grow.