Choctaw singer, songwriter, and producer Samantha Crain has carved out a unique path in the music industry. Coming from a small town, she found inspiration in the freedom that music provided. As a young girl, she didn’t have a clear picture of what it meant to be a professional musician—her only reference point was what she saw on TV. Yet, it was in these early years that she discovered her passion for music at a DIY music venue in Oklahoma City called the Conservatory. There, she watched bands travel from cities like Dallas, Austin, and St. Louis, performing for intimate crowds of 40 or 50 people before hitting the road again. This life of travel, connection, and freedom appealed to her.
At the time, Samantha wasn’t yet playing music, but the accessibility of this lifestyle sparked her desire to pick up an instrument and improve her craft. She believed that if she could become good enough at music, she could live a life of travel and exploration. Fortunately, Samantha didn’t just fall in love with the idea of playing music—she also fell in love with the act of creating, writing, and performing it. That passion set her on a path to becoming the artist she is today.
As she reflects on her journey, Samantha stresses the importance of exposing young people to the arts. Growing up in a small town where the primary activities were sports or agriculture, Samantha understands that many kids feel out of place if they don’t fit into those molds. The versatility of the arts offers an outlet for self-expression, a way for young people to explore their identities, and an opportunity to see the world through different lenses.
That just seemed like such an amazing way to see the world and meet different people and see how other people lived.
“If you’re feeling left out or like an underdog or like you don’t belong somewhere, then I think those problems end up moving into your adulthood. But if you can get those things early — a sense of belonging, a sense of purpose, or a sense of expressing yourself through other ways, then I think it just helps,” Samantha said. “It helps kids just become healthier, better citizens.”
Music has provided Samantha with more than just a creative outlet. It has also given her a sense of independence and agency over her life. Being in the arts has allowed her to choose her own projects, come up with her own ideas, and maintain a level of freedom that is difficult to find in many other fields. This independence has been empowering, especially for someone who struggled to find a sense of belonging as a child. By creating her own path, Samantha has built the confidence she didn’t have growing up.
Her experiences in music have also opened her eyes to the diversity of the world. Traveling and meeting people from different places has given her a deeper understanding of how people live and the challenges they face.
Swipe ->Art and music are human. People use them as tools to connect within their communities.
It allows you to have empathy for other people that aren’t coming from where you’re coming from, and vice versa. People can see where I’m coming from as well, so it’s made me a more open person.
One of the most profound aspects of Samantha’s journey has been her decision to learn and incorporate the Choctaw language into her music. For her, learning the Choctaw language is about more than just preserving a cultural artifact—it’s about keeping a living, evolving language alive. She believes that language is a vital part of cultural identity, and understanding it helps to grasp the values and mindset of her Choctaw heritage. The tribe has made significant efforts to make the language accessible, and Samantha sees it as her duty to be a part of passing it on to future generations.
Incorporating the Choctaw language into contemporary music is Samantha’s way of ensuring that the culture continues to evolve.
“We had so much music taken away from us. When so much of our cultural traditions were taken away from us, I think it’s important to give younger and future generations the confidence that they need to keep adding to this culture,” said Samantha.
Samantha believes that the arts, and particularly live music, are essential in bringing people together in today’s fragmented world. In an age when it’s easy to become isolated, live performances offer a rare opportunity for shared experiences and connection. She recalls a quote that resonates with her: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” For Samantha, this captures the essence of community and collaboration. Achieving something meaningful and long-lasting often requires the support of others, and she values the role of community in her own journey.
In her music, Samantha explores personal stories, often drawing from her own life experiences. Songwriting is her way of processing the past and gaining clarity. She believes that everyone, regardless of where they come from, benefits from looking back and understanding their experiences. For Samantha, music is a tool for this introspection, and her songs often reflect her own emotional journey. However, she has also written songs inspired by other people’s lives, using her craft to empathize with their experiences.
Samantha’s music has appeared in multiple television and film productions. Sterlin Harjo’s Emmy Award winning television series Reservation Dogs (Hulu) and Marvel Studios’ Echo (Disney+ and Hulu) both featured her songs. In addition, she wrote the score for Fancy Dance (Apple TV+), a feature film starring Lily Gladstone and Isabel Deroy-Olson. She also wrote the music for Together We’re More ads, which include the lyric, “We are Choctaw. We are here.”
Her music is available on major music streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and SoundCloud. Her new album, Dragonfly, will be released in March 2025.
Samantha’s artistry is a powerful blend of personal storytelling, cultural preservation, and a desire to connect people. Through her music, she continues to evolve as an artist and as a person, always looking for ways to bridge the past with the present and inspire future generations. Her work in keeping the Choctaw language alive through music stands as a testament to her commitment to both her heritage and the broader world of art.
