Sam Benwick’s HIGHS and lows
Love, faith, and self-discovery shape Sam Benwick’s debut album, HIGHS and lows, a 15-track record built around the singer-songwriter’s personal experiences and her goal of making a no-skip album.
Words Mariz Shane Linsangan
Photos courtesy of Sam Benwick and NYOU
October 13, 2026
Artist Sam Benwick
Sam Benwick brought The Samshines, her community of supporters closer to HIGHS and lows on October 3, playing tracks from her upcoming debut album during a listening party at Concept Space MNL in Quezon City. The Filipino-British singer-songwriter also opened up about the stories, influences, and personal experiences behind the 15-track record.
The album takes from Benwick’s experiences with love, faith, friendship, and self-discovery. Its title also comes from what she felt toward one specific person who brought both the highs and lows of love into her life. Instead of focusing only on the good parts, Benwick lets the album sit with both sides of those experiences.
Artist Sam Benwick
For the record, Benwick wanted the songs to feel connected from beginning to end. One of her main goals was to make a no-skip album, with every track having a reason to be there. She also wanted to stay within pop while giving herself space to experiment and simply have fun making music.
“Kaibigan” became one of the more challenging songs for Benwick. As she’s more comfortable with English, she made the effort to write the track in Tagalog and hopes to create more songs in the language in the future. The song also became one of the hardest for her to make, adding another personal layer to the album.
Artist Sam Benwick
Benwick also shared “happily ever after,” a poem connected to the project. At only two minutes, the piece reflects her playful personality. She joked that she is “just a girl that yaps a lot” and that two minutes was not enough for her to say everything she wanted.
Her influences emulates Filipino band Ben&Ben, particularly “Sunflowers,” while her own record moves through different pop ideas and personal stories. The album also includes previously released songs “OUT OF THE DARKNESS,” “told ya so,” “FINALLY,” “mr. nonchalant,” and “STEP BY STEP,” alongside ten new tracks.
Independently produced with distribution support from ONErpm, HIGHS and lows will be released on October 16 on major digital music platforms worldwide. For Benwick, the album is a chance to put her own stories and sound forward after years of being known for her covers.
