an interview with samnfriend

guitar-shredder and perm-professional samnfriend talks internet culture, the impending 80s revival, shelly duvall-spiricies, and making music in an age of cringe-culture.

Samnfriend’s apartment looks exactly like you would expect it to.

She meets me on the street. It’s raining, but her building in the Lower East Side is covered by a construction awning. She can’t come out further, she apologizes, because doing so would jeopardize her perm, which she has maintained regularly by a woman named Cherry in the Bronx. Too much moisture, Sam tells me with a wink. Dangerous for a girl like me!

Past a doorman and several different elevators, she leads me into a small one-bedroom apartment. An extensive collection of multi-colored vintage shoes line the hallway, and the middle of the room is occupied by a dining table piled with all kinds of production equipment. Electronic boards cover up the stained wood, and several different kinds of headphones (wired, SONY, beats) spill over every surface. The only surface not covered by microphones and laptops is a tiny chair housing a mug. It’s immediately clear from the environment that this is where her priorities lie: making music. 

Sam will be the first to tell you that all of her social media content—guitar riffs performed in vintage dresses, Shelly Duvall conspiracy theories, and one notable video where she pretended to learn the drums in 24 hours (which, Sam mentions proudly, garnered 12 million views)—is a means to a creative end. Music is her undying passion, and the reason she switched from the highly prestigious Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts to the equally competitive Berklee College of Music three years ago. When she returned to the United States for her freshman year at Berklee, Sam wanted to make friends outside of her highly structured course load. Like most Gen Z’ers, she turned to the internet.

Sam’s early content relied equally on music and aesthetics. Clad in vintage, color-coordinated playsuits, the young musician propped her phone on the desk of her Boston apartment bedroom and played guitar riffs over popular songs. Her subjects ranged from classic rock and riot grrl to popular TikTok audios; from Steely Dan and Sleater-Kinney to Alex G and The Smiths. As her content blew up, garnering millions of views, she used the momentum to propel her music career. Acting as a songwriter, guitarist, and producer, she’s produced dozens of songs within the Boston and New York music scenes, notably including two singles and an upcoming EP with Favorite Ex-Girlfriend, a single and yet-to-be-released song with Ladybug, and two singles with Secaydia. Her self-titled band Sam and Friend also produced two EPs and a single between 2023 and 2024, garnering a cult following on Spotify and Apple Music which Sam herself describes as “scarily loyal”. 

Today, the TERNSTIELE team sat down with her to talk about internet culture, the impending 80s revival, Shelly Duvall-spiricies, and making music and online content in an age of cringe-culture.

MS: What’s the last song you listened to?

SM: Indiscipline by King Crimson.

MS: How would you describe the music you make?

SM: It’s mostly indie rock – it’s supposed to have a very, like, raw and organic feel. That’s what I like to do.

MS: You live between both Boston and NYC. How have both of those cities influenced your music? Are there any artists or songs that stand out to you?

SM: I’d say New York influenced my musical background, and then I apply it to Boston when I’m working with fans, or fellow artists. I think The Cardigans have a very Boston sound to me. I listen to them a lot. There’s not one specific song that I’ve made that stands out to me, but just a general vibe.

Author’s note: Although The Cardigans hail from Jönpöking, Sweden, their pop-rock singles quickly went platinum in the United States, where they have remained highly popular.

MS: I feel like we so often hear about cringe culture and a kind of…perpetual Gen Z anxiety when it comes to putting ourselves out there, whether it be creatively or content-wise. How do you think you grappled with that when starting your social media career? Was that something you felt hyper-conscious of? Do you think it influenced your content and fanbase?

SM: Well, my fanbase can be a bit unconventional mostly because my audience is split between 14 year olds who just got access to the internet and a lot of like mid 50s/60s year old men who really love the music I play. I think being cringe is an inevitable thing because of the way you need to act online to promote your music (especially when you make guitar content). Being flamboyant, playing certain songs certain ways, and acting in a persona are just things you need to do. To me, it’s a necessary evil.

MS: Is that (the clickbait, the guitar personas, all of it) something you intentionally leaned into?

SM: Yeah, definitely. At some point, the more cartoonish you are with your videos, the better they do with the Tik Tok algorithm. 

MS: Do you feel like growing up on the internet like we did has shaped your music taste, and the kind of music you make? Do you think it’s shaped your content?

SM: I think it’s shaped my content more than my music. My music is more what people want to see and listen to now, but the music that I make when I’m in the studio is more what I grew up listening to with my dad, you know?

MS: Totally. On that topic, are there any musical inspirations that you draw from? Any bands we might have seen you cover on your page?

SM: I love 90s girl bands. I love the Muffs, I like Sleater-Kinney. I listen to Helium and Veruca Salt…I think about them a lot when I make music. 

MS: Who are your guitar inspirations? How did you get into playing? I feel like so many classic rock fans have the same story of listening to Jimi Hendrix or even Metallica and picking up the guitar. As a Gen Z musician, where did that moment start for you?

SM: I think a lot of my guitar inspirations come from not only what they’re playing, but also their style. So I found a lot of inspiration in Kat Bjelland of Babes in Toyland and Viv Albertine of the Slits. As for guitar, I really love to listen to Adrian Belew and Steve Howe. 

MS: Do you feel like your love of classic rock, grunge, and these referential sounds and music scenes influenced you to start exploring 80s fashion?

SM: Oh, yeah. I think fashion is intertwined with music in a way that I can’t really avoid, but I think it’s a great thing. I think it adds a lot more depth to it.

MS: Are there any music videos or films that stand out to you?

SM: A lot, but especially I can’t stay away from you by Gloria Estefan…I love the way she does her hair. I like a lot of the Babes in Toyland music videos—all the baby doll dresses and big hair. 

Sam attributes her love of perms and vintage fashion to 80s music video starlets like Gloria Estefan and Kate Bush.

MS: Speaking of your fashion inspiration…Anyone that follows you (whether casually or professionally) knows that you’re a self-described Kate Bush stan. Where did your obsession with the Wuthering Heights prodigy come from? Do you feel like that inspiration blends into your music and style?

SM: I don’t remember where it started, but it definitely started online, and before she blew up on Tik Tok. I get asked a lot if that’s how I found her, but no. I’m a Katekeeper–like a gatekeeper, but for Kate Bush. 

MS: [Mollie laughs] As a Katekeeper are there certain reddits, or forums, or just things where you guys like...congregate?

SM: Oh, yes. Yes, of course. There’s r/katebush, which I am an active member of.

MS: Really? Are you a mod yet?

SM: I’m not a mod yet, but once I post the boots I’m making, I will be.

MS: Hold on. Excuse me? Tell me more about these boots.

SM: I’m currently getting boots custom made that match Kate’s red over the knee, Karl Lagerfeld boots that she wore to promote her 1978 tour.

MS: Wait, how are you...? Professionally made? How much is it?

SM: There’s a place in Midtown. I paid for it with my jury duty money–$800. I’m a good person. I did my civic duty. I deserve it.

MS: In 2023 you described yourself (humbly, might I add) as a guitar prodigy on the Sam And Friend Band page, going by the moniker “Shreddy Duvall”. Where did the Shelly Duvall bit come from? I know it’s had a sort-of mixed response online; people can’t decide whether they love it or hate it. Does that ambiguity add to exposure?

SM: I think the whole Shreddy Duvall thing really adds to my persona on TikTok because it’s one thing if you can play guitar, but if you add lore behind it, that adds a whole other level of depth. 

MS: Do you feel like you have to lie to get views sometimes? Is part of content creation kind of going through that cringe ego death and coming out of it unafraid to [Laughs] lie on the internet?

SM: Absolutely. I think you need to make it through the fire and the flames.

MS: Totally. And so you felt like adding Shelly Duvall in and starting these rumors of being related would benefit your views and content?

SM: It did. Anyone can lie on the internet, but not everyone can shred on the guitar. 

Fans of Samnfriend can find her on Instagram and Tik Tok under the same handle. Fans of her music can find her on any streaming platform as Sam And Friend. Keep an eye out for an upcoming EP collaboration with Favorite Ex-Girlfriend, another upcoming single with Ladybug, and hopefully a few Boston and NYC shows in the near future.

📷: Helene Erlbaum, 2025