I want to start with a few deeply personal words this time because talking to SAM SHI really touched me. First of all, it actually made me happy to hear that there are people out there who sometimes experience the world the same way I do. Somehow, even if it’s only for a moment, that makes everything feel a little warmer to me.

“I overthink things ALL. THE. TIME. I feel like this tendency to hyper-fixate is a blessing and a curse,” she tells me. I felt myself breathe a little easier when I heard those words. Not because overthinking is enjoyable, but because it felt strangely familiar. What I admire, though, is that she doesn’t stay there. She doesn’t think in problems—she thinks in ways forward. “I am practicing being present, and it’s a daily practice. I can feel it when I’m drifting. I notice it, and then I dial myself back in.”

I think music can be exactly that—a way of finding ourselves again. Whether we’re listening to it or creating it, it has this ability to bring us back to the present. Born in Honolulu, raised in Sweden and now based in Los Angeles, SAM SHI found her way to music through seemingly different worlds—physics, tech and yoga. On paper, these worlds don’t seem to have much in common, yet somehow they all became part of her creative language, part of the way she sees and creates.

“I see myself as always evolving.”

Her new single What U Said explores the moment when words suddenly become something real. Mysterious, a little dark and quietly hypnotic, the track pulls you in without ever forcing its message.

One of my questions made her pause for a moment. She found it intriguing and even wondered how I would answer it myself. I had asked whether there had ever been a sentence in her life that changed everything—maybe even one she wished she had never said. I thought about it for a long time afterwards. My first thought wasn’t about something I regretted saying, but rather about the words I never said at all. But maybe she’s right when she says that everything happens for a reason. Maybe every conversation, every silence and every chapter leads us exactly where we’re meant to be.

Enjoy our conversation.

Photography by Nick Mel l
Hair & Make-up by Vlada Kozachyshche
Creative Direction by Sofia Popkova

Let’s start with your new single, “What U Said.” The song explores the moment when words suddenly become something physical. I think that’s something almost everyone can relate to. Has there ever been a sentence in your own life that changed everything—maybe even something you wished you had never said?

I was at Elements Festival in 2020—when they enforced COVID tests in order to enter—playing my djembe during my friend’s DJ set. Later that night, I had a conversation about music with another friend who had been in the crowd. At some point, he asked me, “Why don’t you do it all yourself?” (e.g., sing, DJ, play instruments) At this point, I did not know how to DJ or produce. I had experience singing, writing songs, playing guitar, and playing the djembe alongside other DJs, but I hadn’t thought about doing it all myself. “You’re right,” I said, and I never looked back. Now, this does not answer the second part of your question. This was a monumental moment for me in terms of pursuing my music career. Whilst not a story about a romance between a man and a woman, it is the origin story of me learning how to DJ and produce electronic music and the beginning of my in-depth romance with music and performance.

I find the second part of this question intriguing. I’m curious how you’d answer this question. Nothing in particular comes to mind for me. I’m a firm believer in the idea that things happen for a reason. Now, I’m not saying that I’ve never said something that I might have experienced as regrettable in the moment. However, I do believe these moments can serve as moments of clarity and/or redirection. I ask myself: At that moment, why did I wish I hadn’t said that? Did I misunderstand something? Misrepresent something? These are the types of questions I’d ask myself when reflecting upon something of that nature.

You once said, “What U Said has been one of my favorites since Enamour and I first started working on it together.” What do you think makes this song so special to you?

I love the sonic signature. I love the flirty nature of the lyrics. The song immediately drops me into a world that I understand. To me, it feels aligned.

I really like that “What U Said” feels playful and uplifting, while at its heart it’s about something quite intense. Were you hoping listeners would dance first and only later realize what the song is actually about? (smiles)

I love intensity. I also love the juxtaposition of the music production and the lyrics. This contrast seems to be a constant in my collaborations with Enamour, which I love. I can’t say that I was personally hoping for anything in particular. I am in the business of making music because I love the art of expression and the joy of collaboration.

“I love feeling my feelings, and I love making space to feel them.”

Before music became your full-time path, you studied physics, worked in tech, and became a yoga teacher. I love how different those worlds seem. Do you think each of them still finds its way into your music in some form?

100%. Both symbolically and literally. My record “Curious Things” is about a phenomenon in physics called spooky action at a distance. Vinyasa yoga is all about flow—which maps 1:1 to DJing and production. Energy is the lowest common denominator here. I don’t see myself as having moved on from any one particular identity. I see myself as always evolving, and if I feel like I’m stagnating, then I will engage in a new topic or go a layer deeper into an already existing topic in my life. This helps me create leverage in each of those worlds, which are not actually separate. I see myself as a system managing multiple systems. My knowledge and skill set are like a living organism that constantly needs a variety of input to stay healthy.

Your music invites people to reconnect with themselves rather than escape reality. What helps you find your own way back when life feels overwhelming?

Dropping into my body. Yoga is a huge part of that. My 200-hour teacher training was truly life-changing. I was just having a discussion the other day with my teacher about yoga teacher training, and she was saying that if you even just feel a little called to sign up for yoga teacher training, you should just do it. And I totally agree with her. Of course, I love the way my physical practice evolved, but for me, a huge part of the value was learning more about the philosophy of yoga and how it deepened my own spiritual practice.

You often speak about the connection between body and mind. Do you think we spend too much time living in our heads today? Or maybe let me put it differently: Do you think we sometimes overthink our own feelings instead of simply allowing ourselves to feel them?

100%. I was noodling on a new lyric recently and singing “overthinking something that u said” on a loop (haha). I overthink things ALL. THE. TIME. I feel like this tendency to hyper-fixate is a blessing and a curse. It’s awesome because I can work on a song non-stop in my studio for four hours straight—to the point where I will forget to go to the bathroom and drink water if my bottle isn’t on my desk. This is great for the sake of pumping out tracks. This type of fixation doesn’t feel great, though, if I end up doing this day after day without breaks. And it’s especially terrible for me and my health if I focus like this on something that doesn’t serve me.

I love feeling my feelings, and I love making space to feel them. Some evenings, I’ll literally just sit on my couch and cry without judging myself. And then I’ll feel better. Sometimes I’ll do some light stretching in my living room, and it turns into a dance.

I am practicing being present, and it’s a daily practice. I can feel it when I’m drifting. I notice it, and then I dial myself back in.

“One of the most beautiful things music can do is bring us back to our life force.”

You’ve lived in different countries and experienced very different chapters of life. Has there ever been a place that completely changed the way you create art?

Every place that I have lived in and every chapter has served its own unique, beautiful purpose. But in terms of my approach to creating art, I think that place is LA, because it was during my first two and a half years in LA that I started returning to myself. This deep knowing and intimacy with myself have been fundamental to the shift in how I perceive and present myself, which has greatly affected how I create art. My expression is more honest. More vulnerable. It feels scary but also liberating. I’ve started to let go of the judgments I carried internally about myself and others.

Whether you’re DJing or performing live, you’re creating a shared experience. I think that’s one of the most beautiful things music can do. Does it feel that way to you too?

Absolutely. Rhythm is life. One of the most beautiful things that music can do is bring us back to our life force. To our qi (氣).

Your Instagram feels very thoughtfully curated. How much work actually goes into it? And if you had the choice, would you sometimes wish social media simply didn’t exist? (smiles)

Thank you! I appreciate that. The curation is definitely intentional. And nah, I don’t wish that at all. Social media has done so many amazing things for me. I reconnected with one of my key collaborators through social media (Florian, co-producer and drummer on my record PETTY). I have kept in touch with friends whose current numbers I don’t have. I went to school in a small town in Sweden between the ages of five and twelve-ish. I recently hung out with a childhood friend from this small town at a warehouse party in LA, and, well, guess what? He messaged me through Instagram. There are obvious side effects of social media that have harmed people. There have been weeks when I’ve looked at my phone usage stats and thought, “OMG, I have spent way too many hours on social media this week.” That being said, I feel the benefits have far outweighed the cons for me at this point. Also, the more aware I become of my actions, the more empowered I feel. If I want to use social media less, then I have the agency to do so.

“I don’t see myself as separate. I see myself as a system managing multiple systems.”

I read that hiking is one of the things that helps keep you sane. I’m not much of a hiker myself, but I love being in nature. I think even just listening to the sounds of a forest is something incredibly valuable today. Why do you think so many people have forgotten how healing nature can be?

Before I answer your question, I just have to say: I LOVE hiking. I agree—being in nature is SO valuable, and nature heals in such beautiful ways. I listen to the sounds of the birds and the breeze of the wind. I connect with the plants and the trees. I admire the sky and the mountains. It’s such a grounding experience. I also love walking on the beach. My thoughts are clearer and deeper by the water. Actually, Harvard Health Publishing released an article back in 2020 that discusses forest therapy, which is a guided, mindful outdoor practice inspired by the Japanese tradition of “forest bathing” that has been shown to significantly reduce stress, boost immunity, and improve overall physical and mental well-being. (link)

To answer your question: If you look at the evolution of society, the distribution of the world’s population, and how concentrated people are in cities, the answer is right in front of us. We have built infrastructure that has widened the gap between us and nature. Highways. Concrete. High-rises. People who live in cities have to go out of their way to experience unobstructed nature. And it’s like any habit: If you have to go out of your way, then it’s going to be harder to do it. If people are spending less time in nature, then the healing nature of nature (lol) becomes nothing but a faint memory. (Do you know how memories work in the brain? It’s fascinating.)

I also think that the shock of experiencing nature after a long time away can be very disorienting because it can be a confrontational experience. As someone who grew up in nature and spent eight and a half years in NYC, I can confirm that I was personally much less grounded and less in my true-self aura when I spent less time in nature. I didn’t take the time to look in the mirror and confront myself. I don’t blame myself. I was busy hustling, and that chapter served its purpose. But all of that is to say that I can relate to forgetting how healing nature can be. It’s okay. We can come back to it—that’s the beauty of Mother Earth (and why we should treat her kindly).

Finally, what is something you’re currently learning about yourself that has nothing to do with music?

This is probably not the answer you were looking for, but…I recently learned how much I LOVE my new mattress (yes, I’m so serious). I recently invested in a new Avocado mattress, and my sleep has been heavenly. No, I don’t have a brand deal with them (yet—lol, wink). After a few weeks or so, I noticed that I had stopped waking up with various pains around my neck and shoulders and so on. AND…I just spent the last month traveling. I went to New York, Italy, Ibiza, Copenhagen, and Sweden. I slept in seven different beds. Each of them was uncomfortable in its own unique way. I had such a fun time during the trip, and I loved spending time with my family. But I’m so excited to be back home in LA and sleep in my own bed. Don’t underestimate the power of solid sleep.

Listen here: 
drop.cobrand.com/d/SAMSHI/what-u-said

Follow SAM SHI for more:
www.instagram.com/samshi.music