Sam McCoig, known as Saint Samuel, is a self-produced singer-songwriter based out of Richmond, VA. Receiving his first guitar at the age of nine years old, Sam started forming bands in the sixth grade, but everything changed when he discovered Garageband on a school-issued laptop. He then earnestly dove into teaching himself to produce.

Sam grew up listening to country music and pop punk, a combination that might not seem compatible. He took the defiance of his pop-punk days and combined it with the storytelling found in country music. That’s where the genres met to formulate the songwriting style and sound of Saint Samuel.

Feeling out of place in the alt-country genre in which he was seated, Sam found himself questioning what his path as a musician would be. Then the pandemic hit, and, no longer able to collaborate with other producers, Sam was forced to be completely self-sufficient if he wanted to continue making music. That’s when the idea of Saint Samuel was conceived. He realized Saint Samuel was always there, he just hadn’t found him yet.

“Saint Samuel is an alter-ego,” says McCoig. “He’s not separate from me, but he’s not who I am when I’m living my daily life. He’s what I look like without inhibitions or consequences or insecurities holding me back.”