Sam Derosa started off as classmate of Charlie Puth at Berklee College of Music. Few years late, Derosa went onto the hit NBC show Songland where she performed her song “Pill For This” for Charlie Puth to potentially make her song into a song sung by a chart top selling artist. Derosa wasn’t picked but that didn’t matter because the song went to top 9 on iTunes Charts. The song became a viral hit and charted in the top top in iTunes, now Derosa is on the rise and becoming the next pop star in the making. ECHO had the chance to talk with Sam Derosa about her song, Songland and more!
Hi! How are you?
Hi! Thank you for having me. I’m doing great.
Congrats on your song “Pill For This” it made it to the top 20 on iTunes! What was your reaction to the song becoming an overnight sensation?
Ahh thank you so much! I couldn’t believe it when I saw my name up there. I found out it ended up going #9 on pop which was wild. You’re so sweet for saying that, but I actually wouldn’t call myself an overnight sensation. That song, this whole journey, and what will happen next involved a lot of work and has taken a long time. It’s still very much in progress and I think I’ve got a while to go! I see this as a moment to say thank you to everybody and remind myself that it’s worth pushing through the hard days. That was QUITE a week for me and I’m really grateful for that.
You sang it on Songland. Why did you pick and wait to release that song for Songland?
The song was chosen by the producers for me to sing. They had a few songs I wrote to choose from and they specifically loved “Pill for This.” The song was very special to me, so I was really excited that it had the chance to be heard by more than just myself and my Mom, haha.
How did you get connected with Songland?
They actually found me. They called me one day when I was visiting Nashville. I had a meeting with an A&R in LA at some point and I guess she thought I was good for the show. She sent my Soundcloud link to her friend, who was part of casting. When she called about the show, I thought it was a prank! I said no a few times and then ultimately said yes because the team of people on the show were just so kind and encouraging.
“Pill For This” lyrics are full-on moving and important. What’s your favorite line of the song?
Oooh that’s hard. I think it’s a tie between “I don’t want to be two years done, still messed up, half way over you.” And “I learned how to love, not how to get over you.”
You went to Berklee College of music. What did you learn there that has helped you the most in this industry?
Berklee taught me a lot about the work it takes to really be a professional. No school has a “how to be an artist” degree. You have to have that hunger from that start and feed it with learning and experience. That’s when you figure out exactly what you want and who you want to be as an artist. Berklee teaches you, through a lot of work and practice, that you can become a musician within your artist journey. I’m really grateful that I took the time to study the craft of songwriting, music business, and performance.
You debuted last year with your single “Hard To Love” what was so special to you about that song? Why did you choose to make it your official debut?
That song was the first song that I wrote during my post-college journey as a songwriter in New York. While writing with other artists or for other people for a year, something personal happened and “Hard To Love” was born. It was written quickly and it felt like it had to stay with me. Something told me it was mine to keep and I’m glad I did. That song started everything for me as an artist, musically.
If you could put a fan of your music in a setting to listen to your music, what setting would that be?
Love this question! Either driving sometime around sunset, alone in your car, or when you’re home in your room getting ready with friends to go somewhere.
What’s one inspiring quote you’ve heard in life that you want to ECHO out to people?
“No one is you. That it’s your power.” This one resonates more with me as I move through this wild ride. I’m leaning in to who I am, what I want to say, and what I bring to the table as an artist. I encourage everyone to do the same!
What can we expect next?
A music videos! More music for sure (hopefully before the end of the year), and I’m writing for an album :). Thank you so much!