Samantha amazes with her ability to weave captivating stories in melody and rhyme. She breathes life into characters and situations one remembers long after the song has ended.”

— Danny Faragher, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist (Ringo Starr, Peppermint Trolley Company, Camper Van Beethoven)

A BIT O' GOOD NEWS

International UK Songwriting Contest Award and American songwriter magazine interview

LATEST NEWS: 
It was just announced on March 19 that Samantha's song "On a Lark" has been chosen Best Retro Song in the UK Songwriting Contest (UKSC).

For the sixth year in a row, it's a finalist in multiple categories in the UK Songwriting Contest (UKSC). In early 2023, "On a Lark" won Best Lyrics in the international competition. Each year, the UKSC, founded in conjunction with The BRIT Trust, attracts about 10,000 entries from at least 80 countries. Click here for the winning lyrics and official announcement. The contest has described the song as "showcasing [Samantha's] playful mastery of imagery and language."  

Check out the Music Page and whistle along.

Click here for the YouTube video, a past finalist in the UKSC's Best Video category.

"If I Were a Bottle" took First Place in American Songwriter magazine's September/October 2018 issue's Lyrics Contest. Click here for the lyrics and Click here to read the Q&A with Samantha about penning the tune and songwriting in general.

A Tale of New Ditties

They are the seekers, the dreamers, men and women with hearts full of longing for something or someone. They chase memories and illusions, sometimes teetering between hope and despair, but their persistence wears on. These ordinary but somehow grand characters reside in Samantha Elin's songs, amidst a musical landscape of alternately catchy and somber folk, country, pop, rock, blues, and styles in between. A California-based songwriter, Samantha's songs are brought to life by some of L.A.'s top session and live players, e.g., John Palmer (Chuck Berry, Wanda Jackson); Bob Gothar (Micky Dolenz, J.D. Souther); Don Heffington (Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris); Danny Faragher (Ringo Starr, Camper Van Beethoven); and Dan McNamara (Brian Wilson, Roger McGuinn). She sings some songs herself and has turned to some of the best - like Nicole Gordon, Hirth Martinez, and John Cowsill - for others.

Albums

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