Growing up in the small town of Atikokan, Canada, music provided singer-songwriter Alex Sampson with a glimpse into a larger world. After gaining popularity with a series of covers on TikTok, he reached out to audiences through his first original single, “Stay Here.”

Now emerging in the music industry, Sampson has gained more recognition through his performances on America’s Got Talent (AGT). His journey has led to the release of his debut album, “Blurry Vision,” on Jan. 19, 2024, followed by his sophomore effort, titled “Hopeless Romantic,” on Sep. 20, 2024.

“Blurry Vision” opens with “Til the World Gets Sick of Us,” a song centered on the theme of young love, capturing the feeling of being deeply connected to someone despite external challenges and fears. In the song, he sings “we’ll scream until the world gets sick of us” showing he’s ready to embrace love despite society’s disapproval. In the same track, he promises his presence during stifling times: “I’m here when the walls start closing / I’m here when the sky starts falling down.”

Other songs in the album show the hardships of coping with lost love, as seen by “WANT YOU,” “The Girl Who Cried Love,” as well as what is my personal favorite track from the album: “Play Pretend.” In “Play Pretend,” he sings, “Don’t take this the wrong way / I want you to be happy / but it’s hard to watch you fall again / cause now I gotta play pretend,” expressing a poignant mix of heartache and longing as well as revealing the struggles of being supportive while he grapples with his own feelings.

Sampson’s sophomore effort “Hopeless Romantic” contains “Pretty Baby,” which he performed in season 19 of AGT. Following this, he released “If You Were My Girl,” which he sang as a part of his quarterfinals performance, and proceeded to perform “Wallflower” at semifinals, though was unable to receive enough votes to advance to the final round. 

That does not mean, however, that his songs are any less worthy of playing on repeat. True to the album’s name, the songs in “Hopeless Romantic” show the deep infatuation being hopelessly in love entails. In what is arguably his best song,“Wallflower,” Sampson pours his longing into his words: “Wallflower, I can’t look away / Dancing in the shade / Is no place for something so beautiful,” and in “Angel,” a song he wrote for his future wife, the lyrics “I can see you in my eye still / I can hear you in my heart loud / I don’t know you, but I lose my breath” capture the raw feeling of being, as said by the title and conveyed through the music, hopelessly a romantic.

More recently, Sampson released a new holiday single, “Lost In New York,” on Nov. 1, 2024, which was inspired by “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” one of his favorite movies. 

“I’ve always dreamed of being in New York City for the holidays with my loved ones,” said Sampson on Broadway World. “‘Lost In New York’ is a fun play on one of my favorite movies and wanting to make the holiday spirit last all year.”

So no matter your taste in music, Alex Sampson’s songs have a way of connecting with listeners, offering fans a glimpse into the large world music first offered him through heartfelt melodies and lyrics. His talent for songwriting certainly makes him an artist to follow, and I’m looking forward to see what he’ll release next.