Sam Fender’s People Watching is a blockbuster. The North Shields-born singer-songwriter announced his third studio album last November, igniting excitement among his ever-growing, devoted fanbase. There’s no denying Fender’s meteoric rise since the release of his last album, Seventeen Going Under. Now armed with an upcoming sold-out stadium tour and a place among Britain’s biggest contemporary artists, his journey from North East local hero to a festival headliner is complete.
The album’s eponymous lead single, ‘People Watching’, sees Fender turning his lens on the world around him, affirming that he is still a man of the people. He finds solace in imagining himself in the lives of others, offering a stark contrast to his own reality. Though his world has grown, the song lays bare his lingering loneliness (“feelin’ alone”)—a poignant reminder that success doesn’t always shield us from life’s deeper pains. This vulnerability reassures listeners that, despite the changes in his circumstances, his music remains deeply relatable, woven with the same raw emotion that first drew fans to his work.
Much of the album mirrors the anthemic energy of its lead, leaning into the sound that catapulted Fender into the mainstream in dancefloor tunes like ‘The Borders’ and ‘Hypersonic Missiles’. Tracks such as ‘Chin Up’ and ‘Little Bit Closer’ masterfully blend explosive, stadium-ready sound with intimate, heartfelt storytelling. This signature Fender pairing—massive, arena-worthy sound backed by deeply personal lyrics—along with subtle callbacks to his earlier work (such as the “one-horse town” line shared with ‘Two People’ of his debut), makes it clear that while Fender has evolved, his core identity remains unchanged. He’s simply infused with more confidence, more polish, and a larger platform to share his story.
The most powerful moment of People Watching comes in its conclusion, ‘Remember My Name’. The song serves as a tonal shift from the rest of the album, offering a ballad-like outro. As Fender sings, “To them it’s a council house / to me it’s a home,” the instrumentation softens, allowing his raw, heartfelt lyrics to stand in stark contrast to the more epic moments that precede it. His unmistakable Geordie accent bleeds through with every word, drawing us deeper into the sincerity of his message. It’s a moment that feels both deeply personal and universally relatable, underscoring the emotional heart of his journey—one that remains rooted in his working-class beginnings, even as his world grows larger. Fender’s bold vulnerability ties the record together beautifully, echoing the explosive, self-assured sensitivity that pulsates through the record and situates People Watching as his best yet.
Words by Zahra Hanif
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