Coast of Galicia, Spain

 Coast of Galicia, Spain

 Coast of Galicia. Spain

 Coast of Galicia, Spain

What's my story?

Raised overseas for the entirety of my childhood, I began my musical début during my school years with the release of "Child of the Nile" and its subsequent self-produced video, raising awareness to the plight of migrant workers in the Middle Eastern State of Qatar.

Songwriting from an early age, and self-taught on multiple instruments, including the guitar, fiddle, the Arabic "oud" - among various other instruments - I played in multiple bands within the contained expatriate society of my then-adopted home, building a profile as a performer and gaining acclaim for my singing, storytelling and focus on the issues and challenges I experienced, both personally and through others.

After a brief time at university in England, and a summer in Uganda to record a new version of "Child of the Nile", I experienced a time of turbulence and confinement in student life, so decided to street-perform my way to the Isle of Skye in Scotland, before carrying on the adventure to Galway in the West of Ireland, consecrating my love for travelling, exploring and sharing my music.

Returning home worn-but-widened, I undertook more trips around the UK & Ireland, to foster the connection with my estranged roots. I then returned to Uganda in 2018, to record a brand new record, "African Time". During the COVID-19 pandemic, I also recorded "Summerdown", a tribute to my Wiltshire home.

Since the end of the pandemic in 2022, I began another musical tour across France, ferrying to Bretagne in the North, continuing south to Spain and then Portugal with my artistic partner, Nathalie Calvo.

>> Update: From Spring 2024, we are going to explore Eastern Europe, starting with Budapest, Hungary, as I finalise the release of my début album, "To We the World" <<
Born into the traditions of the Cornish & Irish countryside, I have lived travelling the world as an expatriate and a traveller ever since. Growing an interest in the unique sounds and cultures found around the world, my songs are influenced by the inspirational people I´ve met along the way, and the stories they have to tell, as well as my own individual experiences of being a “homeless romantic” in a nationalist but globalised world.

Throughout childhood, I grew up in multiple countries, including Nigeria, Kuwait and The Netherlands, where I started in writing, learning the guitar and singing. My formative years were spent in Qatar, which is where I took up the oud (Middle Eastern lute), violin and various ethnic instruments found on travels, and gathered inspiration for my personal music style - an expression of an expatriate childhood through music.

Qatar was the turning point for my musical inspiration, as at the age of fifteen I went on to produce a documentary film developed from my first public hit, “Child of the Nile”, which in 2013 won myself and film subject Moses Ocaya the ‘Best Sound’ award at the Doha THIMUN Film Festival.

Always surrounded by people who were generally not from my own country or background, this inspired a passionate interest in world affairs and music, which I continue to this day in an effort to bring everyone closer to the world that has inspired me...
Sam Cronin

What have been my milestones in music?