Samm Henshaw shared his debut album Untidy Soul with us at the top of the year after teasing out singles from the set over the course of two years. Normally such a long wait would kill the thrill, but Untidy Soul was well worth it and has garnered repeated spins around SBHQ. Samm has also been smart with visuals from the album, offering clips for "Still Broke," "Chicken Wings" and "Grow." Now he's back with the set's fourth visual installment with "Joy."
Each of the four visuals tells their own story, and "Joy" is no different. It finds Samm getting into the backseat of a car suited and booted as he goes on a drive. The setting affords the Bounce-Worthy singer/rapper to get confessional and introspective while showcasing breathtaking black-and-white imagery along the way.
Eventually, the car he's riding in stops and Samm is forced to walk the rest of the way down the road, his suitcase in hand. While that might seem like a dire situation, it's not coincidence that it occurs at a point in the song where a chorus sings, "Don't you worry what tomorrow may bring / 'Cause we've got joy, sweet joy."
"For me, the way I kind of perceive it is the car is almost this comfort zone. This place of comfort, this place of, 'Right, well, this is where we're headed… somewhere,'" the artist told VIBE about the moment in the video. "Once the car stops, it then becomes, 'All right, you still have to continue the journey, but now you have to do it on your own and you have to do it with a few less tools.' There's not someone now driving a car for you. There’s not someone now doing this journey for you."
It's a testament to the strength of will but also a reminder that sometimes you have to work through the bad to find the joy on the other side.
Since we leave him walking, the clip ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. Here's hoping that we get another video from the album to resolve the story. In the meantime, you can take in Samm Henshaw and his "Joy" when you press play below.
