"Do you know what? I was just so excited to get through even week one," Samantha Jade admits about her time on this year's 'Dancing With The Stars', her voice still buzzing with disbelief. "So to come this far – oh my god, this is amazing. The experience of this show has been just so crazy because I went in so nervous, thinking, 'Oh my god, I'm not going to be able to do this. What have I done?' But once you start getting it, and understanding it, you just feel so much better about yourself. Every week, it's like, I can't believe I made it this far. Hard work really does pay off."
The journey from week one jitters to finalist confidence has been a whirlwind, but Samantha isn’t slowing down. As she prepares for the next stage of the competition, her game plan is clear: "Oh my gosh, I’m just going to work my hardest, really go over and over and over the routine, really step into character."
For Samantha, dancing is more than just movement – it's about becoming someone else entirely.
"The interesting thing about dancing is that it's a lot of acting as well. You’ve really got to take on a role, and every character is different when you’re dancing. So I think it’s just about putting my heart and soul into it."
And she’s not doing it alone. A huge part of her success, she says, comes down to her dance partner, Gustavo Viglio. "He’s really unbelievable. He’s a great teacher, and his belief in me really keeps me going. I’m going to rely a lot on my teammate for this one."
Balancing her demanding 'Dancing With The Stars' schedule with her music career seems like a Herculean task, but Samantha shrugs it off with a laugh. "I love being busy. So for me, it works. I prefer to be busy than not busy. I just feel lucky that I can wear all these hats. I love it."
Busy is an understatement. Just last month, Samantha dropped her new single, 'Peachy', a track she’s clearly smitten with. "I love this song. It’s one of those songs where, if I heard it, I’d be like, 'I wish I wrote that'. It’s just such a fun bop."
The song, with its nostalgic nods to the ’90s and early 2000s, was a collaborative effort with producer Morgan Taylor Reid, who laid down the chords that sparked the track's creation. "We wanted to write something that was pop and felt nostalgic, and when Morgan came up with the chords, that’s when it really grew from there."
'Peachy' is just a taste of what’s to come from Samantha’s upcoming EP 'Love.Sick Vol.2', a project she describes as "a love letter to love."
'Love.Sick Vol.2' explores every facet of love.
"The whole EP is based on that nostalgic pop sound. I’m calling it a love letter to love,” Samantha says. “There are songs about every kind of realm of love – losing love, finding love, being in love, learning to love."
In the studio, Samantha found herself in familiar, comfortable surroundings. "I was so lucky to work with my long-time collaborators and friends on this record. It was really nice to have that comfort of knowing you’re in a safe place and any idea is a good idea."
The recording process was a labour of love, with Samantha fully immersed in every detail: "I wanted to make sure that on this, I was helping with vocal production, and really, I wrote everything. So it was nice having my stamp on it all."
The EP is largely upbeat and filled with feel-good tracks, something Samantha felt was essential given the state of the world. "I think with this one, I kept it really up-tempo. There’s one ballad about losing love, about my mum, but everything else is just fun and up-tempo and feel-good."
"That’s what I want people to do. I think we’ve been through enough; the world’s a tough place to be in right now, and I feel like I just wanted to write a record for people to feel like they can escape."
With more than two decades in the industry, Samantha Jade’s music has evolved, but her core principles remain the same. "It’s always stayed in the pop realm, but it depends on what I’m inspired by at the time. It always goes back to loving a great chorus, loving great melodies, loving great vocals. For me, whenever you hear a record of mine, I want people to feel like they can really connect with it."
Samantha Jade is a force to be reckoned with – a pop diva who won’t quit, no matter how full her plate is. Whether she’s dazzling us on the dancefloor or giving us the soundtrack to our lives, one thing is clear: she’s just getting started.
Samantha Jade's new single 'Peachy' is out now. Her EP 'Love.Sick Vol.2' is out 16 August.
