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Bio - kashena Sampson

Already celebrated by Rolling Stone for "evoking the best of Seventies folk," Kashena Sampson turns a new page with her third record, Ghost Of Me. It's a psychedelic folk-rock album that pulls up her Americana roots and digs deep beneath the surface, uncovering the darker indie sounds that once provided the soundtrack to Kashena's childhood. Laced with electric guitar, reverb, and synthesizer, Ghost Of Me offers a new backdrop for the songwriting and otherworldly singing of an East Nashville luminary who's never sounded more authentic. 

"Stuck in the same place, same routine," Sampson sings during the album's title track, before a swell of gorgeous, nocturnal noise — full of swooning keyboards and atmospheric guitars, like a long-lost Roy Orbison classic reborn for a film noir soundtrack — darkens the sky and alters the weather. This is, in fact, anything but the same routine. Sampson may have earned comparisons to Stevie Nicks with records like 2017's Wild Heart and 2021's Time Machine, but here, she sounds like her own witchy woman. 

Sampson recorded Ghost Of Me with producer Jon Estes, drummer Tom Myers, and guitarist B.L. Reed. She'd already worked with Estes on her previous records, creating an Americana sound that nodded to her Nashville surroundings while still exploring new territory. This time, though, she wanted to move in a different direction, exploring textures that blurred the lines between genre and generation. "I wanted to incorporate more rock influences I grew up listening to," she says. "My first two records were full of Americana and country songs, because that's what I was surrounded by in Nashville, but I grew up listening to Beck, Bjork, the Violent Femmes, Nirvana, and the Pixies."

Sampson grew up on the move, too, living abroad with her family before traveling the world by boat — a gig that found her paying her dues as a cruise ship singer — as a young adult. That diverse upbringing is mirrored on Ghost Of Me. "Heartache" is a haunting, nocturnal blast of 1980s pop/rock, with stacked vocal harmonies and icy guitars. ("We recorded that song three different times, until it sounded industrial and dark," she remembers. "It just needed a certain feeling. I was telling the band, 'Think about vampires.'") "Phases" pairs a meaty, muscular verse with a psychedelic chorus that finds Sampson howling at the moon, her voice dissolving into a haze of reverb. "Rear View Mirror," written alongside fellow Nashvillian Caroline Spence, builds its way toward another larger-than-life refrain, accented by crashing cymbals and B.L. Reed's power chords. Then there's "Fucked Up Love," a show-stealing torch song about a relationship gone bad. The track's shoegazing arrangement is more Mazzy Star than Patsy Cline, with Sampson's lyrics charting a course from co-dependency to self-reliance. When she wails "If this is it, I've had enough" during the song's final stretch, you believe her. 

"This is an album about ignoring the bullshit and doing what's authentic to me," she explains. "Forget the rat race. Forget the bad relationships. Forget trying to please everybody. I'm tired of doing that. I wanted to do something for myself, and that's what Ghost Of Me became. It's an album for me." 

Kashena will release three singles from Ghost Of Me in spring 2025, followed by the full album on June 20th, 2025.

 
 
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New music coming soon

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Press 

Lonesome Highway (Sept 2021)

“An album that points to some deeply fervent soul searching by Sampson, you’re left with the impression of a cleansing and exorcism of darker times in the writer’s past and of acceptance and positivity going forward. On the strength of this most impressive recording, it’s no surprise that she is an integral part of that hugely talented group of female singer songwriters in the East Nashville musical community.”

FOLK RADIO UK (Sept 2021)
"If her debut offered an initial promise that Sampson was a timeless voice for the years, this is a 24-carat confirmation that she belongs in the ranks of the greats. Her gold will not tarnish."

Mother Church Pew (Sept 2021)

“Time Machine has many of the elements of Kashena Sampson’s prior work, most notably her classic vocals with the range to carry a world of lyrical emotion. However, it shows clear progression as well—a maturity in both lyrical crafting and smart production.”

ROLLINGSTONE (June 2021)

“Nashville singer-songwriter Kashena Sampson mines a little bit of the sizzle from Dusty in Memphis for “Whole Lot Better,” the lead offering from her new album Time Machine. In the midst of tough circumstances, she finds a way to celebrate new beginnings: “Got a lot better since I moved out from the Eastside,” she sings, the garage-rock rave up arrangement echoing her jubilation.”

GLIDE MAGAZINE (June 2021)

“Today Glide is excited to premiere the video for “Whole Lot Better,” a driving anthem of self-assuredness, celebrating new beginnings. With a spunky groove and guitar, Sampson layers in her 70s folk-soul vocals as she rambles about and assures herself that everything will be alright. Bringing to mind Dusty Springfield but with more soul, Sampson keeps the good vibes flowing as she dances around her yard and croons with abandon. Of course, there is plenty of rocking to back her up and make this one hell of a fun tune.”

LIGHTNING 100 (June 2021)

“Kashena continues to prove she is not afraid to write from the heart.”

AMERICANA UK (June 2021)

“Listen to the welcome return of a great voice.”

ROLLINGSTONE (July 2017)

"Sounds Like: An East Nashville salute to the glory days of California country-rock, shot through with Seventies swoon and swagger. For Fans of: Bobbie Gentry's string arrangements, Stevie Nicks' vibrato, Erin Rae's crooning calm."  

ROLLINGSTONE (February 2019)

"East Nashville's Kashena Sampson channels Joni Mitchell in 'Work Of Art'. Her performance here is particularly wispy, as her voice lilts and draws out some gorgeously understated notes. The instrumentation reinforces the song’s subtle nature, evoking the best of Seventies folk." 

AMERICAN SONGWRITER (2017)

"Prior to the forthcoming release, Sampson has shared “Hold Me Close,” a somber ballad that considers the dangerous intensity of a former romance." 

MOTHER CHURCH PEW-LIVE SHOW REVIEW (October 2017)

"It takes something special to connect with an audience and leave everyone wanting more.  Kashena Sampson’s bluesy, soulful voice alone would make any room take notice, but that’s not enough for Sampson.  Whether you consider it soul-influenced country, folk, or Americana, like those that lit the path before her (Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, a touch of Amy Winehouse), it’s her lyrical storytelling paired with a powerhouse voice that gives her that real Nashville sound.”

ROCK SHOT MAG-LIVE SHOW REVIEW (February 2018)

"Her music sounds both fresh and somehow familiar, touching hearts and souls, and making the audience swing gently to her rhythm. Apart from that incredible voice, she’s a first-class storyteller. An old style bard, with the ability to attract crowds yearning to listen to her stories." 

FOLK RADIO UK - SONG PREMIERE (January 2018)

"A timeless enchantress, Kashena combines a 70s folk-rock aesthetic and sound, which draws on a California country and classic Laurel Canyon, quickly garnered flattering comparisons to giants such as Nicks, Ronstadt and Bonnie Raitt as well as cult heroes such as Barbara Keith, Jim Croce and Bobbie Gentry." 

THE  405 - A CONVERSATION WITH KASHENA SAMPSON

"Sampson has the rare ability to shift moods, tones, and sounds while maintaining a cohesive atmosphere and sound. Her honest songwriting and heartfelt singing is among the very best out there today."

LAS VEGAS WEEKLY (August 2017)

"Las Vegan Kashena Sampson makes her own way in country music's capital"

NEW COMMUTE (August 2017)

"Kashena Sampson gracefully tames her raw and mystic spirit for her debut record, Wild Heart"

Other Features:

THE BLUEGRASS SITUATION - SONG PREMIERE “Greasy Spoon” (July 2017)

LIVERPOOL SOUND AND VISION - ALBUM REVIEW (August 2018)

ENTERTAINMENT FOCUS COUNTRY (February 2018)

THE BLUEGRASS SITUATION - SONG PREMIERE “Hello Darkness” (July 2021)

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"Whole Lot Better" & Tracks from 'Wild Heart'

by Kashena Sampson

Recorded at The Bomb Shelter- Nashville, TN

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Kashena Sampson