Sammy Rae & the Friends, Victoria Canal

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Shervin Lainez

The six members of Sammy Rae & the Friends.

Sammy Rae & the Friends

$36.

media release: Sammy Rae & The Friends have announced their glorious debut album, Something For Everybody out September 20 via Nettwerk. The album announcement comes alongside the release of the album’s lead single, the uplifting “We Made It (Feat. Celisse).” On the new single, Sammy Rae shares “It’s a song about regular everyday people who are proud of themselves and their accomplishments, working hard for the life they want. This is an answer to those who say ‘one day you’ll make it when…’ or ‘you’ll know you've made it when…’. A song about contentment where you are, and the little steps and achievements that actually make for a happy and fulfilled life.” Preorder Something For Everybody HERE.

As a child Sammy Rae had an “aha” moment, while watching an episode of Vh1’s Behind The Music on Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band. Though she was already writing songs and playing music at a young age, a different type of ambition struck her - she wanted to be a band leader. It was at this moment that the idea for her musical project was born. She went on to establish a group of remarkable musicians, each with their own unique talent and together an unstoppable collective. In the last few months Sammy Rae has released “I Get It Now,” “Thieves” and “Coming Home Song,” and together they mark the first three releases of new recorded music since she burst onto the scene with her two EPs The Good Life (2018) and Let’s Throw a Party (2021). Since those early releases, Sammy Rae & The Friends have become a juggernaut. With a live experience that fans liken to church…or communion, however you see it, it's an exultation and a cathartic release like no other musical act can offer. In the few years since she started workshopping her live show at NYC’s Rockwood Music Hall, she’s grown to selling out 5000 cap venues from London to LA and continues to add to her fervent fanbase. 

Sammy Rae & The Friends have announced a major North American tour taking place this fall. Drag Queen and environmental and LGBTQ activist Pattie Gonia will open several of the dates on the tour. A full list of tour dates and tickets can be found at https://www.sammyrae.com. A portion of the proceeds from this tour will go to the Ally Coalition and their work supporting LGBTQ youth across the country. 

For as much as Sammy Rae & The Friends may be a band, this collective of dreamers and artists considers themselves a family first. They flourish in any spotlight with a combination of all-for-one and one-for-all camaraderie, palpable chemistry, deft virtuosity, and vocal fireworks. Their sound is a mélange of Sammy’s influences, rooted in classic rock, folk, and funk and sprinkled with soul and jazz. Complete with a rhythm section and two saxophones, The Friends had a stellar year of high-energy performances throughout 2023 playing their biggest shows and festivals to date, including Central Park Summerstage, Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, and their first-ever international headline tour, which saw them selling out venues from North America to the UK and Europe, including London’s 5,000 cap Apollo Theatre two times.

Rae has been building toward this moment since moving to NYC from Connecticut in her early 20s. Finding herself without a built-in peer group, she simply built it herself: the literal and proverbial “Friends.” When she started playing shows, she made sure the audience was part of the family too. Everything that’s happened since, from the EPs to sold-out shows in major markets and secondary markets alike across North America and the UK & Europe, to high-profile festival sets around the world, including Bonnaroo’s main stage, Sound on Sound and more, has been based on friends telling friends. 

As they prepare for the release of Something For Everybody, Sammy Rae & The Friends have come to represent more than just a band: they are a full-on movement being adopted with a refreshingly diverse clientele.