# Sammy Rae

Samantha Rae Bowers (born January 4, 1994), known professionally as Sammy Rae, is an American musician and the leader of the band Sammy Rae & The Friends. She has released one album, one live album, and two EPs. Her musical style is influenced by funk, jazz, rock, folk, and pop.

## Biography
### Early life

Rae was born in Derby, Connecticut on January 4, 1994. Rae enjoyed singing from a very young age, starting with nursery rhymes as a toddler. When she was young, her parents fostered her interest in the arts, taking her to participate in a children’s theatre company in Shelton, after-school choirs, and piano lessons. She realized that she wanted to be a songwriter at the age of 12 after watching a segment on VH1 about Bruce Springsteen. When she was 15, she played her first show. She attended Sacred Heart Academy, a private, all-girls Catholic high school with uniform requirements and little chance for self-expression, where she was a member of the art scene. She then attended the University of New Haven for one year studying sound engineering and audio technology. In 2013, at the age of 19, Rae moved to New York City to pursue songwriting and study music and teaching at Manhattan College. She dropped out in 2014 and worked waiting tables while pursuing music in her free time.

### Career

Rae took up a six-month residency at the Cotton Club jazz lounge in Harlem, while regularly singing at open mic shows and writing and recording her own songs. It was during this period that she met the six other musicians who became her bandmates in 2016. At this time, she was also a member of folk-rock band "Newcomers Club". In November 2016, she released her first album, Sugar, with 10-tracks recorded at Flux Studios on the Lower East Side. She later deleted the album, claiming it was "off-brand".
In 2018, her band, Sammy Rae & The Friends, released their EP The Good Life, followed in 2021 by their EP Let's Throw a Party. In 2021, the band was selected for the American Music Abroad program. Through 2021 and 2022, the band gained popularity on Spotify, partly due to being featured on the platform's "Discover Weekly" playlist.
The band released their debut studio album, Something For Everybody, on September 20, 2024.

## Influences

Rae stated she was influenced by church music (particularly gospel music) and classic rock, as well as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon for vocals, and the E Street Band for their group dynamics. The band's style is influenced by the diverse musical backgrounds of all its members, with genres such as jazz, rock, funk, folk, theater, and world music.

## Personal life

Sammy Rae identifies as queer. As such, her music often includes themes of queer and female empowerment. This is most apparent in their song "Jackie Onassis," which Rae has stated is "a love song to my first crushes, and it’s also a love song to all young women."

## Discography
### EPs

| Release Date | Name |
| July 20, 2018 | The Good Life |
| January 22, 2021 | Let's Throw A Party |

### Albums

| Release Date | Name |
| May 27, 2013 | Celebrate my Heart |
| November 4, 2016 | Sugar |
| August 11, 2023 | The If It All Goes South Tour (Live) |
| September 20, 2024 | Something For Everybody |

### Singles

| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
| Title | Year | US AAA | Album |
| "Thieves" (with The Friends) | 2024 | 34 | Something for Everybody |

## Tours

Headlining
* Follow Me Like The Moon Tour (2021)
* If It All Goes South (2022)
* CAMP: The Tour! (2023)
* Something For Everybody (2024-2025)