Context (complete)

Context

  • Sam Fender is a 27 year old indie/ alternative rock artist from North Shields in NE of England

→ this is an area of high social deprivation (more than 30% of children live in poverty)

  • his music is both personal and political — highly inspired by his experiences growing up as working class (social inequality and dysfunctional family)

  • Reviewers have suggested he is different from other artist in the genre — his lyrics and music are bleak and highlight social issues prevalent in certain under represented communities

Product Context

  • The track SGU is from Fenders second studio album released by Polydor records

  • Written during Covid-19 (isolation)

→ the song is introspective — he’s looking back at his 17 year old self trying to make sense of the chaos

→ “17 is when all the challenges begin: you’re not a baby, but you’re definitely not an adult”

  • Fender won a Brit Award for ‘Best Alternative/Rock Act in 2022 — he dedicated his award to the NE Homeless centre

  • Music video directed by Brock Neal Roberts with cinematography by Benjamin Wearing.

  • By January 2022 it went viral on TikTok with more than 258 million views and its own hashtag samfender

Social and Cultural Context

  • Fenders song writing is defined by his local community — his representations have been affected by social and cultural context

→ e.g changes to the benefit system which left many families in poverty

→ the rise in homelessness and the growing awareness of social inequality

  • narrative constructed in video offers social commentary and challenges audience perceptions of particular social groups (young working class)

  • He’s empowering audiences who may feel under represented though the messages encoded in the video

→ possibly he is trying to empower himself as issues explored closely relate to Fenders personal experience as a member of an under represented social group

  • Sam Fender is a 27 year old indie/ alternative rock artist from North Shields in NE of England, which is an area of high social deprivation where more than 30% of children live in poverty. His music is both personal and political, highly inspired by his experiences growing up in a working-class environment amidst social inequality and a dysfunctional family dynamic. Reviewers have suggested he is different from other artists in the genre; his lyrics and music carry a tone of bleakness and highlight social issues prevalent in underrepresented communities.

  • The track "SGU" is from Fender's second studio album released by Polydor Records. Written during the COVID-19 pandemic, it reflects his introspective thoughts as he looks back at his 17-year-old self, attempting to make sense of the chaos of adolescence. He expresses that “17 is when all the challenges begin: you’re not a baby, but you’re definitely not an adult.” Fender won a Brit Award for ‘Best Alternative/Rock Act’ in 2022, a recognition he dedicated to the Northeast Homeless Centre. The music video for "SGU" was directed by Brock Neal Roberts and features cinematography by Benjamin Wearing, contributing to the emotional depth of the piece. By January 2022, the song had gone viral on TikTok with over 258 million views and its own hashtag, #samfender.

  • Fender’s songwriting is deeply influenced by his local community; his representations are informed by various social and cultural contexts, including changes to the benefit system that have left many families in poverty, the rise in homelessness, and an increasing awareness of social inequality. The narrative constructed in the music video offers a form of social commentary and challenges audience perceptions of certain social groups, especially young working-class individuals. Through his work, he empowers audiences who may feel underrepresented, with messages encoded in the video that resonate closely with Fender’s personal experiences as a member of an underrepresented social group.