Despite being deep into an exhausting promotional tour, Sampa the Great is on a high. Not long before we speak, she found out that former US president Barack Obama has just added one of her tracks to his much sought-after summer playlist. “Finally my mum thinks I have a real job now,” she laughs. “It feels so great. People all over the world listening to [my] music…the former president putting it on a huge platform like that. It’s crazy.”
The musician, real name Sampa Tembo, is speaking from a New York hotel room; she is in the city promoting album As Above, So Below. “It’s all been so hectic,” she says before adding she’s never happier than when she’s busy. “All the hard work is worth it.”
