by kristen case
photo courtesy of sami siteman
Sami Siteman is a force to be reckoned with. Sami is back to chat with us at Unclear about her latest single “Chasing the Rainbow.” She shares from such an honest place that it is really inspiring. Sami discusses the creative process behind “Chasing the Rainbow,” what she’s most proud of about the release, and the collaboration that brought it to life.
Welcome back! What have you been up to since we last talked?
Sami: “I'm happy to be back! So much has happened for me in the past year both personally and professionally since we last talked! I got married, released the first single from my debut album, and have been hard at work on my debut album, called Welcome to My Brain! It's a collection of songs that I wrote in the ten year span between 2015-2025, all in some way related to mental health, and will be out mid-September 2026! I just released the second single from the album called ‘Chasing the Rainbow.’ So happy to be working on and releasing so much music this year!”
Congratulations on the release of “Chasing the Rainbow!” What emotions do you feel now that it is out there released?
Sami: “Thank you! I'm so happy to have this song out in the world! I wrote it back in 2020 and have actually played it live at shows for years, but to have it available for people to listen to on demand and hopefully connect with is so immensely special.”
How would you describe your music to new listeners?
Sami: “I always like to say that my music lives at the intersection of pop, country, and singer-songwriter with some rock, folk, and jazz elements sometimes thrown in! I have never felt like I fit squarely in one genre and that's the way I like it! Life is messy, it doesn't always fit into just one box, and neither do I. I think that fans of Sara Bareilles, Carly Pearce, Kelsea Ballerini, Olivia Rodrigo, Maren Morris, Noah Kahan, and Kacey Musgraves will really connect with my music and lyrics.”
How did you approach “Chasing the Rainbow” differently from your previous singles?
Sami: “My producer, Dylan Emmet, and I decided to make ‘Chasing the Rainbow’ a lot more acoustic than some of my more recent tracks. I really wanted the song to feel really intimate but still have some exciting instrumental elements, and I think we achieved just the right balance. Dylan is a genius and is always so amazing at translating my vision for my songs into a reality. Funny fact: Sometimes I like to be a little cheeky in my songs and add elements that are a dash on the nose, so if you listen really closely, you can actually hear some rain sounds in a few parts of the song.”
What was the songwriting process like for “Chasing the Rainbow?” Any unexpected moments or challenges?
Sami: “‘Chasing the Rainbow’ was one of those songs that really flowed out of me. The lyrics are truly very accurate: my favorite weather truly is right after it rains, but I absolutely hate rain. The song is quite literal in that I truly am always chasing the rainbow and don't want to sit through the rain, but it is also a metaphor for the way I naturally react to pain or discomfort in life in general — that I want to avoid it as much as possible and skip right to the happy things. So this song was really me trying to embrace the fact that you literally cannot get a rainbow or my favorite weather without the rain itself, and there is a freedom that comes with that realization; although I certainly wouldn't say I'm always perfect at remembering that lesson.”
“Chasing the Rainbow” could be the soundtrack to any movie. What would it be and why?
Sami: “Maybe it's just because it's one of my favorite movies, but I feel like it very well could have fit into the ending scene of How to Be Single with Dakota Johnson and Rebel Wilson when Dakota's character is hiking after having such a crazy year. To me, the song really feels like the moment when the rain clears and you realize that the hard stuff really makes the good stuff that much better.”
What has been your biggest piece of advice you have been given since the start of your musical journey?
Sami: “I think one of the best pieces of advice I have ever heard on my music journey, and honestly I'm not even sure where I first heard it, is that the people who make it in music, who are successful (in whatever way you want to define that word), are the ones who never give up on it and never quit. They keep making music even when their metrics aren't encouraging or when they aren't making any profit from their music or when they've gotten 100 no's. They just keep doing it because they love it, because they feel the need to do it. That's truly how I feel about music, it's just a part of me, something I will never stop doing. And all I can hope for along the way is that my music can just keep reaching more and more people. Truly just connecting with as many people as possible who might benefit from or heal through my music is success to me.”
What are you most proud of upon the release, and what do you hope listeners take away from “Chasing the Rainbow?”
Sami: “I'm really proud of myself for being able to identify the coping pattern I have of trying to rush through discomfort and for calling it out in this song. If nothing more, I hope that people take away the message that life is so multi-faceted and as challenging as painful moments are, they really do make good moments shine so brightly. I am also really proud of the cover art on this one! I always create my own album/single artwork and use my own photography, but this one was especially fun for me! I really loved overlapping the two photos I took in Canva to create the raindrops layered over the rainbow.”
What's next for Sami Siteman? Any fun events or projects that fans should look forward to?
Sami: “SO MUCH! I'm going to the Grammys for the first time this year thanks to my incredible manager Forbs West, so I am absolutely STOKED for that! I'm also co-writing more with/for other artists this year and that has been so much fun! As far as my artist project goes, Welcome to My Brain will be out mid-September, but in the meantime, I'll be releasing four more singles from the album! Some of them are really different from anything I have ever released before and I cannot wait for you to hear them! There also might be a mini tour announcement coming soon, so keep an eye out on my socials!”