The popular home-grown band are set to perform their biggest solo concert this Friday.
Singapore’s indie-pop group The Sam Willows are hitting a new high in their career.
After having opened for a string of Western acts including The Script and Little Mix, the quartet will stage their biggest solo show at The Coliseum at Hard Rock Hotel on Friday. They are the first local band to perform at the venue, which can house up to 3,000 people.
But the band aren’t about to rest on their laurels. They are setting their sights on a bigger target: The Grammys.
“(In 5 years), hopefully we’d have achieved our dream of winning a Grammy,” said Jonathan Chua, 26, the group’s lead guitarist and vocalist.
The Sam Willows burst onto the local music scene in 2012. Making up the rest of the quartet are Sandra Riley Tang, 25 (keyboardist, percussionist and vocalist), Benjamin Kheng, 25 (keyboardist, rhythm guitarist and vocalist) and Narelle Kheng, 22 (bass guitarist and vocalist).
The group made their international debut at the Texas South by Southwest Music Festival in 2013. Last year, they signed on to Sony Music Singapore and released their first full-length album “Take Heart”. The title track from the album was an instant hit. At one point, it peaked at No. 1 on Singapore’s iTunes singles chart for 3 consecutive days, beating international stars like Taylor Swift and Jessie J.
The Sam Willows’ ambition to take their music abroad is clear right from the start. They’ve performed in music festivals in the US, South Korea and Australia, and have been actively networking with industry professionals in overseas music circuits.
![sam1](https://theurbanwire.sg/wp-content/uploads/sam1.jpg)
“Consumers are not going to search for local acts when they are being bombarded by foreign mainstream music,” Benjamin said as he explained why the group’s determined to make their name overseas.
It’s also important that the group continues on a “journey of exploration”, said Jonathan. “I think you decline from your peak when you stop trying and get contented.”
The Sam Willows will be performing their hits, covers and new songs in their upcoming concert.
An update: Take a look at their performance below.
Concert details:
Date: 22 July 2016
Time: 7pm
Venue: The Coliseum, Hard Rock Hotel, Resorts World Sentosa
Tickets: Earlybird $48, Standard $58, VIP $128