13 February 2015 – the first time I heard Sam Hunt… I was in the car with the hubby and he had the country station on and Sam played. I didn’t know it was him. I was interested enough to Shazam the song (“Take Your Time”) and that weekend I spun his album countless times and totally fell for him…
I still wonder, was I just primed for a new fangirl adventure? Why did I fall so hard for Sam? The first time hearing him turned into me listening to him and only him for at least two months solid. If I had a choice in listening to something, I always chose Sam. ALWAYS. I haunted YouTube, joined a wonderful FB group devoted to Sam, and even started a story that stars a man who’s a lot like my perception of Sam. 😉
Sam was the spark, the trigger for the reawakening of my appreciation for country music. Before Sam, I was in a music listening rut. I had stuck to my old playlists and they were getting long in the tooth. I had pretty much stopped listening to most of country music. But Sam came along and reminded me that good music is made every day and his seeped into my very soul. Sam’s music is a a great blend of different musical influences and everything about him just hit the right spots for me.
When I was in the depths of it, I wondered if I would ever want to listen to anyone but Sam Hunt. I know, crazy, right? But even as I knew it was crazy, I still reveled in it. I loved being consumed by this need to only listen to him. I wondered if I would ever get sick of him (still hasn’t happened). I learned early on to surround myself with like minded fans and not pay attention to the crap people like to write about him. For all the praise and accolades heaped upon Sam there are also the haters who seem to have nothing better to do than to try and tear down Sam and his fans. Well, I’m not having it.
Of course, Sam’s spell over me was broken. I still crazy adore him but I opened myself up to listening to other artists. My appreciation for country music was rekindled because of him. And because of Sam, I went to more shows in 2015 than I had in a long time. From little shows to stadiums, I experienced a lot of music in summer 2015. I was a little bummed that I didn’t get to see Sam’s set when he was here in the Bay Area but it was still a decent time. And because of Sam, I met Tyler Rich. If I ever meet Sam, I’m going to have to thank him for leading me to Tyler. 🙂
It’s been a great year of loving Sam Hunt. He’s amazing and inspiring. He’s led me to beautiful new friends, awesome new music, and wonderful experiences. Maybe he knows, maybe he’ll never know how much he’s touched my life. Maybe one day I’ll get a chance to say it to him. Or maybe I’ll only ever adore him from afar. Either way, THANK YOU, SAM HUNT…