Sam Fender: “I couldn’t play with Joni Mitchell for anxiety”

Sam Fender’s greatest regret? Not having been able to play with Joni Mitchellbecause of anxiety. The British singer -songwriter himself told it during a recent interview With Megan Holiday for Kroq in the coachella backstage. On the sidelines of the chat, the voice of “Seventenen Going Under” explained that she was invited to participate in one of the famous “Joni Jams”, the jam session organized by the legendary singer -songwriter, but of having declined the invitation because of the anxiety.

The Joni Jams They were born after Mitchell suffered from an aneurysm in 2015, so he seemed to have never been able to perform live. The great musician, however, returned to the stage in 2022, with a concert at the Newport Folk Festival – who became a live album (here our review) Thanks to Brandi Carlilewho made his own honor on stage on those intimate shows behind closed doors, reserved for friends and family, organized at Joni Mitchell’s house. Over time, these sessions acquired momentum and Mitchell then brought the project also live. According to what was told by Fender, it was precisely a One of these sessions at Mitchell’s house That he had been asked to participate, but he eventually refused for too much nervousness.

“Can I tell an absurd thing? They had invited me to a joni jam. Do you know those meet at his house? I didn’t go there“, Sam Fender told Kroq:” Honestly, It was the fault of anxiety. I thought: ‘I can’t sit down next to Joni Mitchell and to be like: do you want to listen to this?’. I thought: ‘But do you really want to surround yourself with these people?’ Obviously yes, he wanted it. In short, they gave me this possibility and I had a collapse. I completely had a collapse. ‘ It is one of my greatest regrets, I think about it continuously“.

The British singer, author and guitarist, among the artists on the bill to the coachella, recently published his Third album, “People Watching” (read our review here).