Rotorua's Sam Yeoward to release debut single

EXCITED: The cover art for Sam Yeoward's debut single.

Rotorua teenager Sam Yeoward reckons seeing his face on the cover of his first single is crazy, but in a "dream come true" kind of way.

The 16-year-old John Paul College student releases his self-penned debut solo single Won't Let You Down tomorrow (April 25), with radio stations around the country set to play the song from next week.

Sam is best known for his stint on X Factor last year, as part of boyband TYP. The group was eliminated before the live finals and after the show Sam left TYP to pursue his solo career.

"It [X Factor] gave me a lot of good experience, it was a high pressure environment . . a learning curve," he said. "It made me realise what I want to be."

What he wanted to do was write his own music, he describes his style as acoustic - "I'm not into auto tuning voices".

His influences include "old stuff" such as Fleetwood Mac, Cat Stevens and the Beatles.

"I remember listening to that with my dad as a kid. That is music in its best form."

The single release has been timed to coincide with school holidays, Sam is off to Auckland next week for a round of radio interviews. It also ties in well with New Zealand Music Month in May.

Sam said he occasionally got recognised on the street although more so in Auckland than in Rotorua where he was "just Sam".

And he's hoping the new single will win him more fans so he can keep living the dream.
"I have so many songs just waiting to be recorded," he said.

"I hope this takes off and goes well and maybe I will have an EP out by the end of the year."

So how does it feel finally seeing the song released?

"I'm really nervous, I really want to get a good response from the public," he said. "But as long as I am happy with what I have put out and people that are listening to it are enjoying it that's the main thing."

Won't Let You Down is available to download from iTunes and Amplifier from April 25.