The Residency is a place where creative minds escape to an Unplugged cabin to reconnect with their creativity while digitally detoxing in nature. From chefs to ceramists and painters to architects, we thought we’d shake things up this chapter and enter the realm of music. Say hello to this month’s Resident, Waves Rush In AKA Sam Branson.
Can you tell us a little about yourself, Sam?
I’m Sam, aka Waves Rush In. I’m a singer/songwriter, film maker, adventurer, Dad and husband based in Oxfordshire, England. I like to think my purpose in life is to help inspire the world into being a kinder place and to spread optimism through my music and what I put out in the world. This year is a very exciting one as I’ve just announced my second album, Equilibrium, and am currently releasing one song every month until the album drops in April next year.
Exciting! Tell us a bit about your Unplugged stay…
Firstly, thank you for inviting me. I absolutely love the concept of disconnecting from the digital, fast-paced world and slowing down into nature’s pace. I didn’t realise how much I needed it until I stopped. From time to time, it’s so beneficial for our wellbeing to make space to be unplugged. To re-centre, realign and just be.
What would you say your favourite thing about your stay was?
Highlights were definitely the cabin itself - Bunty had everything I needed yet nothing I didn’t need. I brought some paints with me that I was given for my 21st birthday, so it was quite the moment finally painting with them 17 years later! I wrote a song, moved my body, I meditated and I reflected.
“I didn’t realise how much I needed it until I stopped. I sat and watched the world go by, something we rarely do these days.”
You wrote a song while at Bunty! Tell us more about that.
I did! It’s a great place to connect and get in flow. This one was very much inspired by the space I was in and it kind of wrote itself - you may even find the birds harmonising with this one! I won’t give too much away as it may be on my trance of releases, but it’s called Gypsy King.
Listening to your music feels like a little love note to mother nature. How does nature inspire you and your music?
You’re spot on, Mother Nature is my biggest muse and my first album Under The Static was hugely inspired by the natural world, in particular our greatest life giving force, the sun and all it gives us. My artist name is Waves Rush In which represents the waves of life; waves of light, wave of sound, waves of the ocean and waves of emotion, as they connect us all.
“Nature is a reminder that when you care for something and nurture it, it blooms and rewards you back, a lovely analogy for life in general.”
Love that. We’re big believers in the power of nature! Do you think everyone could benefit from escaping the city?
The natural world is so beneficial to each and every one of us in so many different ways. If you’re feeling a little burnt out and overstimulated or lacking creativity, I’d recommend checking yourself into unplugged and reaping the rewards of being immersed in nature. There’s no better medicine.
You can Follow Waves Rush In on Instagram and listen to Sam’s music via Waves Rush In on Spotify too.
