Samantha Whates is a singer-songwriter, flautist and member of PicaPica. She is born in Bridgnorth and spends her formative years in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and several towns and cities in the UK. She is based in London and performs regularly on the city’s singer-songwriter circuit.

Career and performance work

Whates appears at a number of London venues, including The Electroacoustic Club, Cargo and the Strongroom Bar. Her demo recordings for NSR receive radio airplay, including play on KCRW’s New Ground, the independent station in Southern California.

Style and influences

Her music has a strong connection to contemporary Scandinavian music, particularly labels such as Rune Grammofon, with an emphasis on tone, timbre and atmosphere. Instrumental music and so-called absolute music also shape her melodic approach.

Songwriting and recording

Whates’s songs are reflective and direct, often dealing with everyday experience through pensive melancholy, nostalgic yearning and a mature perspective. Her debut album on NSR, catalogue number CD 007, is due for release in 2008.