Sam Genders is an English songwriter, vocalist and lyricist.

Working from his small songwriting studio on Sweden’s beautiful west coast, Genders is inspired by science, the natural world and the complexity and beauty of human life and relationships.

His songwriting and co-writing credits include Tunng, Diagrams, Throws, The Accidental, John Smith, Mr Silla (Múm), Liam Bailey, Cibelle, Ben Ottewell (Gomez) and Cabane featuring Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy and Kate Stables (This is The Kit).

Genders co-founded the influential British band Tunng in 2003. As well as being a key songwriter and vocalist for four of their previous albums, he co-curated and wrote the lyrics and several of the songs for Tunng’s 2020 album and podcast project ‘Tunng presents…Dead Club’, an exploration of society’s relationship to death, dying and grief that featured songs, spoken word collaborations and interviews with writers, philosophers and physicians such as Max Porter, AC Grayling, Dame Sue Black, Kevin Young, Derren Brown, Alain de Botton, Speech Debelle and Dr Kathryn Mannix.

Amongst various other projects and collaborations Genders has released several albums and singles under the name Diagrams, including his 2017 album ‘Dorothy’, the lyrics for which were written in collaboration with Orcas Island (US) poet Dorothy Trogdon and his 2019 single ‘Is This Real’ written in collaboration with two deep learning AI systems developed by Dr Maya Ackerman and her team at Wave AI in the US.

“Sam Genders sees the world in ornate detail….there is enormous hope at the heart of this music” The Guardian 4/5 (Diagrams - Chromatics)

“A beautiful celebration of the natural world” The Independent 4/5 (Diagrams - Dorothy)

“A gorgeous record” Lauren Laverne BBC 6 Music (Diagrams - Dorothy)

“A thoughtful meditation on life and loss” The Guardian 4/5 (Tunng - Dead Club)

“As odd and beautiful as it is thoughtful and contemplative” Uncut 7/10 (Tunng. - Dead Club)

“Genders’ delicate falsetto (in the manner of Robert Wyatt) is full of lyrical surprises…the melodies are simple but lovely…it’s wonderful to have them back” The Guardian 4/5 (Tunng - Songs You Make At Night)

“A delightful and thoroughly rewarding piece of work” Drowned In Sound 8/10 (Diagrams - Black Light)

“A collection of the kind of ear-worms you find yourself humming absent-mindedly for days” Q Magazine 8/10 (Diagrams - Black Light)

“This is a feel good record. It makes you feel good. It’s about love and life and happiness and positivity without being the slightest bit sloppy. It’s the perfect accompaniment to bashing away the January blues and starting 2015 with a smile on your face” Clash 8/10 (Diagrams - Chromatics)

“…a record of quite magical positivity. Chromatics is a musical cipher through which Genders’ current state of mind is magically channelled. The eleven songs capture a different atmosphere that now prevails for Genders; emerging out of a fog of past difficulties it is one that embraces a sense of relaxation and warm contentment.” God Is In The TV 9/10 (Diagrams - Chromatics)

Photo credit: Paul Heartfield.