I did not know much about Sam Fender apart from that he was announced Brits Critics’ Choice Award Winner 2019, alongside artists such as Khalid and Sigrid. So when his rendition of Ariana Grande’s hit ‘Break up with your girlfriend… I’m Bored’ came up on my suggested videos I was intrigued. I wondered what an upcoming artist could do to an already ‘powerhouse’ song which at that point was reaching #2 on the Billboard top 100 making Ariana the only artist since The Beatles to claim the three top spots.
From the first 10 seconds of Sam Fender’s version, I was hooked, from the purity of the guitar pathing the way to the rawness of his voice. You soon forgot that it was a cover. Stripped back from all synthesizers and gimmicks, the real message translates through the pain in his voice. I must have now watched this video at least 15 times, each time showing someone new and each time the person finding it hard to go back to the original pop hit. It was through this video that I discovered a real talent, a sound that was missing in a saturated market and why Sam Fender was the perfect Brits Critics’ Choice Award Winner 2019.