SamWoy @ The New Colossus Festival 2026
Photo Credit: D Singh
Montreal-based SamWoy has a way with words. He’s the type of master storyteller that will have you asking out loud: wait, did that really happen? Last year, he released Even Sad Boys Like To Have Fun. It’s an album that explores everything from convincing yourself you can probably keep going (“Poison”), losing a battle (“Beat Up”) and giving yourself fully over to someone else (“Diamond Eyes”).
We connected with SamWoy about his sonic influences, calming the butterflies before a performance and developing ideas during the recording process.
SamWoy (@sam.woy)
Homebase: Montreal, QC, Canada. Originally grew up on Vancouver Island BC
Tell us about a highlight of the event… One of my favorite parts of the festival was connecting with other artists and making a ton of new friends. Our hotel was right next to Champion’s Pizza, so since I was on a bit of a budget I was blessed to end up eating pizza there almost every day.
The night before our set I randomly ran into my friend Justin, an amazing cellist, and convinced him to join us on stage the next night. That kind of spontaneous collaboration is one of the things I love most about being an artist. Those unexpected moments where something magical happens live.
How would you describe your sound? Moody, groove-driven indie rock that blends post-punk attitude with electronic textures and glam-era melody. Rhythmic intensity such as Idles with a poetic mood and drive such as Fontaines D.C. A tinge of Bowie's glam sensibility and Gainsbourg's smoky pop influence.
Do you have any pre-show rituals? Usually just trying to calm my nerves haha. Most people would say I look comfortable on stage but I definitely get a serious case of the butterflies! I'll usually just sit quietly and go do jumping jacks in the bathroom. Sometimes I'll just crack a cold one..
What’s one thing you won’t leave at home when you head out on tour? A ton of underwear and socks. If there is one thing I have learnt is that there can never be enough of this. Also, a Notebook and pen for my thoughts and plans and a pair of noise cancelling headphones just to get some quiet now and then. Especially when we are all sharing one room and snoring it up haha.
How do you approach translating your recorded music for your live shows? For me, songwriting and recording are part of the same process. As a producer and engineer, I’m often developing ideas in the studio rather than writing a song fully before recording it. Many tracks begin as demos or fragments that gradually evolve into the finished version.
What’s interesting is that once I start performing a song live, it often continues to change. Playing it for audiences can reshape the arrangement, energy, or structure in ways that weren’t present in the studio.
Because I perform in several formats—solo, duo, trio, and full band—I naturally end up exploring multiple interpretations of the same songs. I’m not particularly attached to playing a song the exact same way every time, and that flexibility gives me a lot of freedom to experiment and let the music evolve.