Samuel Gaskin is a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

born musician based in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. In 2020 he debuted his stage show ''RECKŌNING: Te Waiata Paihere Wairua'' at the

Melbourne Fringe Festival The Melbourne Fringe Festival is an annual independent arts festival in Melbourne, Australia, usually over three weeks from late September to early October. Held since 1982, the Festival includes a wide variety of art forms, including theatre, com ...

, and released a song of the same name as a single in 2021.

Career

Born in New Zealand, Samuel moved to Australia when he was eight months old and grew up around

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. At age 19 he embarked on a career in dancing and in 2008 landed the role as Mowgli in Australian Shakespeare Company's ''The'' ''Jungle Book,'' his theatre debut. In 2010 Samuel released music as Sam-G on Triple J Unearthed, a website where independent musicians can share their music. Three of his songs entered the top ten Electronic Chart in May 2010, with his song ''Gank'' reaching number one. In 2014 he collaborated with Congo Tardis #1 on their song ''Marathon'', and in 2016 he released two new singles, "Good Enough" and "Love". after signing with

Razor Recordings Gavin Campbell is an Australian club DJ and remixer based in Melbourne, Victoria. He created the dance music production outfit known as Filthy Lucre, which is known for its 1991 remix of Yothu Yindi's single, "Treaty", known as "Treaty (Filthy ...

. The songs' creation were funded through

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

and Samuel donated all royalties from "Good Enough"'s Australian digital sales to the mental health organisation

Beyond Blue Beyond Blue is an Australian mental health and wellbeing support organisation. They provide support programs to address issues related to depression, suicide, anxiety disorders and other related mental illnesses. The organisation works in pa ...

. In 2020 Samuel and his partner Johnny Hamilton debuted their stage show ''RECKŌNING: Te Waiata Paihere Wairua'' at the

. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in Australia The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The first confirmed case in Australia was identified on 25 Januar ...

, the show was staged without an audience and instead a recording from Hammer Hall was made available to stream. The show, which combines

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

and Māori New Zealand song and culture, won four awards, including Best Emerging Indigenous Artist, and toured Brighten Fringe. In 2021 the song ''RECKŌNING'' from the show was released as a single and was hailed by '' Rolling Stone Australia'' as a "cultural tour de force". The song and video features

The Merindas The Merindas are an Indigenous Australian pop duo, comprising Candice Lorrae and Kristel Kickett, active since the mid-2010s. Style The Merindas' live performances feature choreographed dance, projected video, unique wardrobe designed by the gr ...

, who also appear in the stage show. At the end of 2021, ''RECKŌNING: Te Waiata Paihere Wairua'' returned to the Melbourne Fringe Festival. Outside of music and theatre, Samuel has acted in several TV series, such as an episode of each of ''Neighbours'' and ''

Utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', describing a fictional ...

'', and appeared as a judge on ''All Together Now'' in 2018.

Discography

Singles * Good Enough (2016) * Love (2016) * RECKŌNING (2021) * RĀIN (2022)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gaskin, Samuel Living people Australian LGBT musicians 21st-century Australian male musicians 21st-century Australian musicians New Zealand LGBT musicians Musicians from Melbourne Year of birth missing (living people)