Sam Fender has hit out at the current state of the music industry, describing it as “rigged” with “90 per cent kids who are privately educated”.
- READ MORE: Sam Fender – ‘People Watching’ review: reflective and perceptive indie rock from North Shields’ shining star
Speaking in a new interview with The Sunday Times the singer-songwriter also said he feels guilty that his life has changed after making it in the music industry despite being from a working class background in North Shields while his friends still struggle “on the bones of their arse”.
He said: “The music industry is 80 per cent, 90 per cent kids who are privately educated. A kid from where I’m from can’t afford to tour, so there are probably thousands writing songs that are ten times better than mine, poignant lyrics about the country, but they will not be seen because it’s rigged.”
Referring to the song from ‘TV Dinner’ from his latest album ‘People Watching‘ which was released on Friday (February 21), he also criticised the industry for “building” artists up “to knock ’em down.”
He said: “It was wild. I wrote that, then Liam Payne died. You think of the amount of times he was getting dragged through the press and he didn’t help himself, did he? Bless him. I remember watching some videos he was in and being, like, ‘God, what a tit.’ But the reality was that he was just a young lad, famous far too young, who had addiction trouble – and everyone hit him with the pitchforks.”
When asked about the lyric “You’ll sell me / You’ll kill me”, if Fender was talking about himself, he said: “Entirely. It’s reminding me that I don’t have to be under the thumb. At the end of the day, if I want to stop I’ll stop.”
Elsewhere, he also spoke about the the difference between people who take drugs at music industry parties and friends who take them up north.
“Well, I’ve noticed that my drug addict friends who are posh go to rehab, but my mates with issues up there just die,” he said.
Fender continued: “People are very unaware. We are very good at talking about privileges – white, male or straight privilege. We rarely talk about class, though. And that’s a lot of the reason that all the young lads are seduced by demagogues like Andrew Tate.
“They’re being shamed all the time and made to feel like they’re a problem. It’s this narrative being told to white boys from nowhere towns. People preach to some kid in a pit town in Durham who’s got fuck all and tell him he’s privileged? Then Tate tells him he’s worth something? It’s seductive.”
Reviewing his recent album, NME awarded it four stars and described it as “reflective and perceptive indie rock from North Shields’ shining star”.
It added: “Feeling existential, uprooted and disconnected from his old working-class life thanks to his rapid rise to fame, the British guitar hero channels it all into his gorgeous third album.”
Meanwhile, Fender recently revealed that he is already working on its follow-up and announced further dates to his forthcoming UK stadium tour in the summer, including Wythenshawe Park in Manchester on August 16, Edinburgh Summer Sessions on August 22 and Boucher Road Playing Fields in Belfast as part of the VITAL Series on August 28.
Support for the first two shows will come from Olivia Dean, while CMAT will be opening the show in Belfast. Visit here to buy tickets and find a list of UK tour dates here.
The singer-songwriter was also recently announced as the official ambassador of Record Store Day UK 2025 – set for April 12 – and will release two new songs as part of a special EP to celebrate.
He is nominated for two BRIT Awards at next month’s ceremony: Artist Of The Year and Alt/Rock Act.
