Sam Roberts

Sam's comparisons run the gamut from the likes of Liam Gallagher and Elvis Costello to Paul Simon and Beck. It's a diverse and eclectic set of references, which helps to explain why a little-known artist from Pointe Claire, Quebec took his country's airwaves by storm, getting adds daily across different radio formats. "There is no particular method to this at all," insists Sam when pressed about his songwriting. "People can't settle for 'I just write these tunes.' But in reality that's what it is."

Modesty belies his innate talent. At the tender age of four, he fell in love with the violin after hearing a stirring "Oh Canada" seven-inch purchased by his South African parents. "I remember saying: 'I'd like to try that,' so my parents went out and picked me up a violin. I took lessons until I was 20," he says. "The violin is for when I'm alone in my room."

Of touring, Sam says, "I love touring. It's not just the playing, it is the whole mindset you get in when you are on tour. Having to get up for a show every single night of the week, reinventing yourself every day."