Meet Samantha Deluca | Singer. songwriter, performer, producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Samantha Deluca and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Samantha, career-wise, where do you want to be in the end?
I hope to have shared my music far and wide and connected with many different people through art. Concretely, I would love to tour nationally and internationally and see some monetary success from my efforts. However, if I am able to continue making and performing music that feels authentic and honest while reaching and impacting others, I will feel as though my goals have been met, no matter if the monetary success comes or not.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I started singing as early as I can remember and performing publicly as young as 8. I always knew I would be happiest pursuing a career in performance but I didn’t realize that I could tell my own story, in my own words through songwriting, until I was about 19 or 20.

I had so much to say and I was so excited to learn how to portray my emotions through melodies, chords and lyrics. I felt like my experiences of marginalization and loss, along with the perseverance of hope through difficult times were bound to connect with many listeners.

I went to music school in Pasadena and studied vocal performance from 2017-2019 and started writing tons of songs for a longer form project starting in 2019. Unfortunately, that project that I spent over 4 years and thousands of dollars working on will never be released.

Aside from facing discrimination as a woman and criticism for my looks and my body, the biggest obstacle I’ve faced so far in this journey has been losing my first EP of music. After a business disagreement, the person I worked with very closely for years and paid for production services has not allowed me access to the songs that I paid for. That is the main reason that this music is considered “lost.”

In the aftermath of losing such a big investment into my career, I really grappled with whether or not I wanted to continue to pursue this career path. It is a hard enough industry when you don’t encounter major setbacks before you even have an album out, but starting from zero after years of working made the trek forward seem nearly impossible,

With the help and encouragement of my family, friends and other collaborators, both new and old, I decided in early 2024 that I would not allow this obstacle to stop me from continuing to share my voice and my story. I have even more to say now since the events of that setback and I am excited that I have the means and the support to use a negative experience to make more art and keep pursuing the career that I find most fulfilling.

I have a plethora of new music in the works, from self-produced electronic based tracks to songs with full live band instrumentation. I am so excited to share all of it with the world.

Most recently, I released a song called New Beginning, produced by Harley J with visuals by Monica Whitlock. And the song title feels very fitting as I am having somewhat of a new beginning with my music path. The song is out everywhere now!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If I were to take a friend to all the best spots in LA, I would start with the beach. Surely things have changed significantly since the devastating fires in early January and my heart is broken from all the loss in the area, but a drive down PCH in Malibu on a clear day is one of the most quintessential LA experiences. I like to keep driving north until it’s no longer LA county and I’ve reached Ventura.

I would also take a friend into the San Gabriel mountains via the entry road in Azusa. There’s a lovely secluded spot that I found years ago which has a beautiful babbling stream and a pond where the water is always crystal clear. It is my happy place and I love showing it to people who are important to me. It’s a great place to write a song, too!

In terms of dining, we’d have to hit Porto’s for some delicious and affordable baked goods. And a trip to Din Tai Fung for dumplings, noodles and cucumber salad is always worthwhile. I also love to bring people to the original Chino Hills location of Roll ‘Em Up Taquitos for some of the best taquitos ever. However, they are opening a Pasadena location soon which will be much more convenient to get to!

For a friend who’s looking to connect with a creative and supportive community, I would take them to Secret Spot DTLA where they host amazing events for creatives meant to initiate collaboration and community amongst working artists in LA.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First and foremost, my parents. I would not be able to make music in the capacity that I do without their support. I am so grateful and lucky to have them and the rest of my amazing and supportive family who always make me feel like my music is worthwhile.

Secondly, the people I have collaborated with who have pushed me to keep going even when it’s hard and kept me motivated to continue creating. No matter whether we ended on a bad note (which has unfortunately happened) or we are still collaborating, I appreciate everyone who has believed in me enough to put their own talent and efforts behind me and my work. Massive shout out in particular to Cameron Ljungkull and Secret Spot DTLA, along with Larry Shotter and Harley J as they’ve all been instrumental in my music creating journey.

Lastly, huge shout out to my friends and fellow creatives that I get to share this roller coaster of being an independent musician with. It is incredibly comforting to know you aren’t alone in being an artist who’s working toward growth. I don’t know where I would be without awesome friends in similar situations to bounce ideas off of and get valuable advice from when I am feeling stuck. Just to name a few: Monica Whitlock, Megan Muneer, and Melody Pilotte (Le Bas Fond), who are all talented independent musicians as well, always make me feel heard and understood and like we are in this together. I hope that I am able to do the same for them!

I’m so grateful to have so many incredible people in my life to uplift and support me through all the ups and downs of a budding music career.

Website: http://www.samanthadelucamusic.com

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/sammydelucs

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1B3XCHmVxy/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@samanthadeluca?si=sSqD5VbYq7SPBt6m

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@sammydelucs?_t=ZT-8tQaZJtk4FP&_r=1

Image Credits
Monica Whitlock, Cameron Ljungkull, Erin Russell