Front Deck Boom Box: Sammi Palinkas

Melbourne-based singer-songwriter Sammi Palinkas is ready to take the Australian country music scene by storm. Her journey in the music industry commenced at the tender age of eight. Since then, she has collaborated with renowned songwriters and producers in the US, including Andrew Bolooki, Fiona Kernaghan, and Templeton Thompson.

Her musical influences are evident in her dynamic vocal range and powerful stage presence, drawing inspiration from Shania Twain, Keith Urban, Carly Pearce, LeAnn Rimes, and Carrie Underwood.

Sammi’s latest single, Meet In The Middle, was co-written by Sally Barris and award-winning producer Rod McCormack. The song is a modern take on the classic love story of opposites attracting and the importance of compromise in relationships.

Sammi says, “Meet In The Middle is such a common phrase when you’re trying to compromise or negotiate with someone, and in relationships I think there’s an enormous amount of joy and growth that comes in accepting and celebrating those differences in one another, and discovering those things in common that you meet in the middle on.”

We caught up with Sammi Palinkas to find out what songs she’s listening to for this week’s Front Deck Boom Box.

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1. Melanie Dyer – Song For That

Melanie Dyer is such a great songwriter, and I absolutely love this song. Melodically it’s super catchy, but what I love about it is the relatability. When I listen, I’m transported back to a handful of moments I remember growing up, and the songs that sit alongside those memories. There’s a song for your first heartbreak, your achievements, your last year of high school, driving with the windows down in your first car – for all the moments in your life, there’s a song.

2. Lainey Wilson – Heart Like A Truck

I love Lainey Wilson, there’s always so much of her in the music she releases, and she makes you feel like you’re getting to know her the more you listen – Heart Like A Truck is no exception. On first listen I thought this song was about the strength and journey of a heart using the comparison of an old, weathered truck, but later read in an interview that Lainey wrote this (with Trannie Anderson and Dallas Wilson) about moving to Nashville.

It is a perfectly crafted and clever reflection on her journey in the music industry, and the bumps in the road she endured in the process of trying to make it. I think this is a story that resonates with anyone (especially artists and songwriters) trying to make it in a tough industry – if you can hold on through the sharp drops in the rollercoaster, the scars you gather will make you stronger. I think knowing the story really enhanced the already existing charm of this one for me!

3. Kylie Morgan – If He Wanted To He Would

I love this song because the hook has to be one of the most commonly used conversational phrases between friends, when discussing the trials and tribulations of modern dating and unrequited love.

I’d be lying if I said “If he wanted to he would” hadn’t been said to me more than a handful of times in my life! Not only does the sentiment of this song and relatable lyrics make it memorable, but Kylie Morgan, Ben Johnson and Zandi Holup have infused it with a bunch of catchy melodic hooks that get stuck in your head and are easy to sing along to.

4. The Wolfe Brothers – Put The House On It

This is the first track on the Living the Dream album, and one of my favourites. This upbeat and feel-good song captures the dream of settling down, buying a house, and going all-in on life with someone. It’s relatable lyrics and unforgettable melody makes me we want to go out, fall in love, take a chance, and find my happily ever after.

5. Cody Johnson – ‘Til You Can’t

This has been one of my favourite songs for a while now. It was voted into Nashville Songwriters Association International's ‘10 Songs I’d Wish I’d Written’ in 2022, and it’s easy to see why.

Written by Ben Stennis and Matt Rogers, this lyrically clever song makes you feel good, inspires you, and then delivers a message and hook that will make you rethink what’s important to you in life – an unusual combination of feelings to experience in an upbeat song.

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Keep up to date with Sammi Palinkas on her Facebook page here.