Sam Lee^UK

In a new British wave of progressive folk musicians, Sam Lee is one of the most notable. On his dreamy journeys into folk music, he not only treads the paths of artists like Bert Jansch and Nick Drake before him. He also opens passages into a new ecological consciousness and uses the language of folk music to raise awareness of the fragility of nature.

Sam Lee emerged in 2012 as a strong new voice in folk music with his debut album Ground of its Own, which was nominated for a Mercury Prize. Since then, he has developed his rich musical language on a series of acclaimed records that not only use the traditions of folk music to connect past and present, but also to connect man with the rest of nature.

His ecocritical approach to folk music was evident on his 2020 masterpiece Old Wow. Here he was joined by Suede guitarist Bernard Butler and Cocteau Twins singer Elizabeth Fraser, among others, on a series of beautiful songs that, in the spirit of folk music, stood in solidarity with marginalized voices in society, but also expressed solidarity with other species threatened by man's destructive ways.

On his new album songdreaming, he delves even deeper into ecocritical folk music with a series of songs collected in the British Isles. He describes the songs as a suite of love songs to nature and a celebration of diversity, both among people and in nature. Diversity is also present in the arrangements, which embrace acoustic folk, droning soundscapes and anthemic choral arrangements from a London transgender choir. In a world of climate crisis, Sam Lee's approach to folk music is deeply relevant, and we look forward to hearing the visionary musician at Roskilde.