Teesside artists Sam Readman and Ryan Petitjean have teamed up to create powerful new track, ‘Obsessed’. Georgina Shine caught up with the pair to find out more about their collaboration.
What was the creative process like for this track?
Sam: It was quite a long process as we were looking for that perfect sound that we were happy with.
Ryan: We started writing this track pretty much two years ago to the date. We had spoken about working together on a song and I pitched the idea to Sam about a song which used the inspiration of being called obsessive/crazy etc. and reclaiming that notion. Plus, we both loved the idea of making an angsty track which was a bit of a different message for us both. The writing process was pretty easy and then we got to working with our producer, Peter Kirkman, to create a perfect instrumental.
What was it like working together?
Sam: We’ve known each other for a lot of years through a mutual friend and started collaborating a couple of years ago. It’s always great to work with each other and actually really easy. We both seem to always be on the same page about things which we feel is quite a rare thing to find.
Do you find the writing and producing process easier when you’re writing about something you know or have experienced?
Sam: It 100% makes it easier if you can relate in some way to the music you are writing as it makes the emotion in the production and vocal more realistic and, hopefully, relatable for people. We discussed that when writing a song, you take a life experience and then just make it 50 times more dramatic, kind of like an alter ego but drawn from real life experiences.
The track is a collaboration piece…is that something you’d like to do more of in the future?
Ryan: We will definitely work together again. We have found we work really well together and our voices have a nice blend. Hopefully, people agree and would want more collaborations from us. It’s always a bonus when you are on the same level creatively as someone and you can bounce ideas off each other.
The track is about a situationship. What advice would you give to people if they find themselves in a similar position?
Sam: I’ve had success with coming out the end of a situationship into a lovely relationship with the person so I would stay stick with it, unless it gets a tad toxic, then sack it off.
Ryan: For me, this song is all about standing up for yourself and reclaiming what someone else might use against you as an insult. I would say you should be obsessed with your partner and if they aren’t obsessed with you, then find someone who is.
What can fans look forward to from you in the future?
Ryan: I’ve got several songs I’m recording/producing which I plan to release in the coming months which will then eventually become part of an EP. As soon as I release one song, I’m like “Right, what’s next!” so I can’t wait for them to come out. I would love to work with Sam again in the future too!
Sam: I started my own business over a year ago running contemporary community choirs, which has taken over my life a bit. Now everything is settling down, I’ve got a few songs that I’m wanting to release within the next year, And I don’t think this will be the last collaboration with me and Ryan.
You can listen to ‘Obsessed’ now on all major streaming platforms.
