Sam Feldt Takes Center Stage in 2021, “Stronger” ft. Kesha & Fangage 2.0 Launch [Interview]

Internationally renowned house music legend Sam Feldt continues to captivate fans with his forward-looking musical and entrepreneurial ventures. Following the massive success of a plethora of releases on his Heartfeldt Records imprint in partnership with Spinnin’ Records and the prosperous launch of his new Fangage platform, the Dutch electronic music superstar has no plans to slow his roll down anytime soon. 

With only two months into 2021, Sam Feldt has already managed to instill an endless amount of hope and inspiration into the dance music community with his latest projects. His first single of the year, “Stronger” ft. Kesha, touches on a concept everyone across the globe can easily relate to. It’s difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel from time to time in times like these, but as the uplifting deep-house tune exclaims, “You gotta take it day-by-day if you wanna get stronger.” Determined to connect other aspiring artists with their fans on a more personal level, the relaunch of his Fangage platform has already impacted the music community tremendously as well – and there’s so much more to come.

With so much uncertainty taking place throughout the past year, its moving tracks like “Stronger” and innovative concepts like Fangage that keep this beautiful world spinning round. Sam Feldt’s extraordinary artistic vision and aspiration for a sustainable music industry are truly one-of-a-kind, and thanks to authentic artists like him, connecting people through the power of music has never proven to be more powerful.

Read on to learn more about Sam Feldt’s most recent thrilling endeavors in our exclusive interview with him below.

The Nocturnal Times: Thanks for taking the time to chat with us, we hope 2021 has been treating you well so far! What are you most excited for in terms of your professional and music career in the months to come?

Sam Feldt: Thanks guys, I’m super excited about the release of “Stronger” with Kesha a few weeks back. It’s my best streaming song so far, and I can already see it’s been playing on the radio worldwide. I’m currently working on the follow up, and about 10 other songs that hopefully will become a new album this or next year. On the business side, I’m super proud of the results we’ve accomplished with Heartfeldt Records since March 2020. Launching a new venture during a pandemic is definitely not easy, but we were still able to release about 35+ quality tracks from upcoming artists in less than a year. I’m also really happy with the success of Fangage.com, a start-up that helps bridge the gap between fans and their heroes – by letting them connect and support each other directly.

The Nocturnal Times: “Stronger” featuring Kesha is your first release of the year. How exciting! Can you tell us more about the creative process behind the track?

Sam Feldt: Of course, I first received the vocal idea behind Stronger from Kesha at the start of the first lockdown. The message behind the lyrics, getting stronger through difficult times, is one that captivated me right away – especially in challenging times like these. We finalized the vocals by sending them back and forth, and afterwards I got started on the production back in my studio in Amsterdam. I’ve never met Kesha until now, because of COVID restrictions – but I am really happy with the end result. Overall, more than 35 versions went back and forth to create a mix we were both satisfied with!

The Nocturnal Times: What led you to seek out Kesha and collaborate with her on this track specifically?

Sam Feldt: I’ve been listening to her music from a very young age, and felt honoured when she reached out to me. I think she wrote a song with a very powerful message the world needs to hear right now. 

The Nocturnal Times: If you could describe how you envisioned  “Stronger” to make listeners feel in just one word, what would it be?

Sam Feldt: Hopeful.

The Nocturnal Times: Speaking of staying strong, you’ve successfully managed to remain focused on your music and artistic vision despite everything going on in the world. What motivates you to keep going everyday and continue sharing your extraordinary talent with fans?

Sam Feldt: I’ve been more focused than ever before, because I am finally getting proper sleep and exercise. Before the pandemic, I was traveling to more than 150 different cities per year – so I was constantly on the move. Now, I have more dedicated time for the studio and other projects, and I am really happy with the moves I’ve been able to make this year. While boring, I don’t feel like 2020 was a lost year at all. I just hope that I get a chance to play all this new music live in the near future.

The Nocturnal Times: Last year, you relaunched Fangage to help unite artists with their fan base in a unique digital space. Can you share more insight on what you hope to achieve with this intricate platform in the long-run?

Sam Feldt: Sure, with current COVID limitations and live events not happening, digital fan engagement is all creators and their fans have at the moment to stay connected. I realized traditional social media and their algorithms often limit this relationship and even charge creators to reach their own fanbase. I think this is ridiculous, the relationship between creators and their fans should be pure and transparent. With Fangage, any creator can set up a website and host their most exclusive content & experience on it – which fans can unlock by signing up. This way, they are able to reach 100% of their fans directly via email, text or voice and the fans enjoy content they can’t find anywhere else. A win-win if you ask me. A couple of weeks ago, we also launched our paid content feature which allows creators to sell content and memberships to fans, and keep all the profits. In the future, I hope we can expand more outside of music into the (e)sports, events and brands industries. 

The Nocturnal Times: With the help of innovative platforms like Fangage, are you hopeful that our beloved music industry will come back stronger than ever before?

Sam Feldt: Yes, I do. I think the demand for live events is higher than ever before, and we’re seeing a peak in terms of how much music is being made and released. With more artists realizing they need to take control of their fanbase and invest in a digital strategy, I am hopeful that platforms like Fangage.com will change the way artists and fans communicate for the better. 

The Nocturnal Times: Are there any special additions to Fangage or any other special/unannounced projects from you we should be looking out for in the near future?

Sam Feldt: The biggest new feature is our paid content feature, which allows creators to monetize their fanbase directly and keep all the profits – something that’s especially important for artists right now who might be struggling because they are not touring. We’re constantly developing new features for the platform, such as live stream capabilities, a Songstats integration and a more advanced demo drop system – so stay updated on Fangage.com.