Singled Out: Samantha Leah's Acrobat

12-04-2025

Dark-pop artist Samantha Leah just released her brand new single and video, "Acrobat". To celebrate we asked her to tell us about the song's background. Here is the story:

I looked back in my messages to see how "Acrobat" began. I couldn't believe it because time passed by SO fast, but I wrote it in early March 2024 and then found a text I sent to my best friend saying, "I made this song and I picture you starring in the music video," on March 17th (and she did wind up starring in it, by the way). From then to the December 3rd, 2025, release date, a lot happened in between!

I'll tell a story about creating the song and the one missing element we desperately needed, which took us months to find. I knew I wanted to bring this song to one of my main collaborators, Marvin, but we were finishing up something else, so I didn't send him my demo until June. Side note: when I initially sent it to him, he responded with: "This feels equal parts old school hip jazz club somewhere in a NYC basement, smoky, hanging lamps and like a chill jazz band jamming, and equal parts like circus, swinging around on some trapeze. Cool vocal melodies too, dipping into some R&B vibes sometimes." I love that I can go back into my messages and reread these things, because he was SO spot-on with that analysis even though I wrote it to the simplest piano loop ever. Working with collaborators who see/hear your vision when it's in the earliest stages is a true blessing.

Anyway, we had a call about the song in late June and began expanding it into a full track. Everything was going great. The only issue was that we needed to find the perfect pianist to perform on the song, since we decided the piano would be a very important element. We booked two different pianists for sessions, but their sounds weren't quite right. We even re-booked one of them, thinking if we gave the player some new notes, the outcome would be favorable. It still wasn't right, though. Both of these players were absolutely incredible, but it just didn't work.

These sessions were booked over the span of a month. They were so spread out because of scheduling issues. Marvin and I took a break with "Acrobat" to finish up a different project, and by then it was early September. I was getting worried because I had a music video shoot planned for September 22nd, and I knew I needed the piano by then since it was going to guide the energy of the entire song and the video. When I shoot visuals, even if I don't have the final version of the song, I like it to be as close as possible, so the vibe is there.

Again, I started contacting different pianists. Nothing seemed to fit. I wanted it to sound jazzy, but also cabaret-influenced and even whimsical. It was incredibly difficult finding references for the type of sound I had in mind.

Finally, I contacted Franco Páez, a pianist and composer originally from Argentina who now lives in Slovenia. He sent a 20 second sample of his take on the piano part of "Acrobat" and, right away, Marvin and I knew he was the one. On September 15th, just one week before the video shoot, we had our perfect piano.

This whole journey reminded me that, as artists, trusting the process is everything. Hard work matters, of course, but sometimes the magic happens in its own time. Things just fall into place when they're meant to. We never imagined it would take that long to find the right pianist, but it was WELL worth the wait. Music-making is such a microcosm of life. There are twists and turns, but eventually, you get to where you're meant to be.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below and via your favorite streaming platform here