Music – Los Angeles
Born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Samantha Schultz is 24 years old and graduated in June of 2009 from the Victoria School of Performing and Visual Arts. She began singing at the age of 3 and has been playing the guitar since she was 11. Samantha writes her own lyrics and music, and has a subject range relatable to people of all walks of life. Influenced by the likes of Jonny Lang, India Arie, Sheryl Crow, and Justin Nozuka, Schultz embodies an acoustic soul sound, reminiscent of Sara Bareilles and a folky Tori Kelly.
She has had many opportunities to showcase her abilities by entering talent competitions and playing at open stages and folk clubs. Samantha has performed at numerous music festivals across Canada, most notably the Edmonton Folk Music Festival and the Salmon Arm Roots & Blues Music Festival; she was featured in the Sirius Satellite “Six Pack,” including artists such as Serena Ryder, Sam Roberts, Bedouin Soundclash, Sierra Noble and Elliott Brood.
She adds to her credits opening for such artists as John Blackwell (Justin Timberlake, Cameo, P-Diddy), Ryan Cabrera, Livingston Taylor, Kyle Riabko, Ruthie Foster, Gaye Delorme, and Jennifer Warnes. In February 2009, Samantha opened for Schuyler Fisk and Ben Taylor at the famed El Mocambo club in Toronto, Canada.
In November of 2006, Samantha was the youngest nominee in the category of “Young Performer of the Year” at the Canadian Folk Music Awards. In 2007 and 2009, Samantha was a nominee in the Edmonton Mayor’s Evening for the Arts in the category of the Stantec Youth Artist Award.
In July 2011, Samantha released her sophomore album, Ink To Paper, a follow-up CD to her 2006 debut release, Both Sides. The album garnered Schultz two Edmonton Music Award nominations in April of 2012: Female Artist of the Year and Blues Album of the Year.
In January of 2012, Samantha embarked on her first trip to Europe. She was selected by Berklee College of Music to represent Canada/the USA, and was asked to put a band together. Thus, the Samantha Schultz Trio was born. The group was a featured act in the Close Encounters: Helsinki and St. Petersburg Music Festival, and were warmly and enthusiastically received. They had a chance to take part in the international songwriting/collaboration band and to perform at multiple venues in Helsinki, Finland, and in St. Petersburg, Russia. A year later in January 2013, the Samantha Schultz Trio was a top semi-finalist in the Grammy Gig of A Lifetime competition in the Pop Genre for the US Northeast Region.
Samantha graduated with honors from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, on the full-ride Gary Slaight Family Scholarship in May of 2013. Schultz majored in Professional Music and minored in Africana Studies. Samantha has performed at Cafe 939′s The Red Room, as well as at the Berklee Performance Centre in various Berklee College of Music productions such as Singer’s Showcase and The Great American Songbook Series. Samantha was also one of four students chosen to be a part of Berklee’s premiere award-winning and critically acclaimed a cappella group, Pitch Slapped, in 2009, and remained in the group until 2013. She is the former musical director of the ensemble.
In September of 2014, Schultz travelled to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) for a month-and-a-half long residency at the famed Yas Viceroy Resort on Yas Island. Schultz shared the stage on a regular nightly basis with Shannon “Sangin’ Diva” Pearson (Natalie Cole; Anthony Hamilton; Katy Perry), Alex Bailey (Judith Hill; Oscar Peterson), and Kyle Miles (Herbie Hancock; Patrice Rushen).
In the fall of 2014, Samantha’s voice was heard all over southern California in one of four Westside Rental commercials, “Dumped,” which went on to receive the “Outstanding In Radio Advertising Awards” award at the Southern California Broadcasters Awards (SCBA) in October. The jingle was penned by writer extraordinaires, Jimmy Dunne and Paul Overstreet.
April 2015 introduced Samantha to the makeup world as 1/5th of COVERGIRL’s Rockabellas, in partnership with the movie, “Pitch Perfect 2.” Schultz was featured as “The Spitfire” on numerous television and internet ads, as well as on COVERGIRL’s website and many social media pages.
Samantha is currently living in Los Angeles, CA and has already had a chance to perform at multiple locations all over Southern California. Schultz is gradually becoming a sought-after session singer, singing for projects like "My Little Pony" and movie trailers. She is currently in the process of recording a brand new EP and is excited to share what she has been working on.