Alex Sampson on ‘Growing Pains’, EP & Hudson Yards Debut

by | Jul 24, 2025

In this Alex Sampson “Growing Pains” interview, the Canadian singer‑songwriter opens up about leaving small‑town Ontario for L.A., the EP it signals, and the Hudson Yards debut set to broadcast his bittersweet message to a global audience.

At just 22, Ontario‑born troubadour Alex Sampson has swapped the quiet curves of Lake Temagami for the sun‑bleached sprawl of Los Angeles, and his new single “Growing Pains” wears that culture shock like a badge. Over a breezy acoustic riff he confesses, “I got growing pains, but I’m not getting taller,” a line he tells me was the very first to tumble out in the writing room and the compass for an EP that trades last year’s glossy Hopeless Romantic sheen for rawer, noughties‑flavoured candour. Yet while his postcode has changed, the DIY grit that racked up 131 million streams and 5.2 million followers remains intact; the boy who once sang covers from his bedroom still believes the only obstacle to “making it big” is himself. As he prepares to premiere the track on New York’s Hudson Yards stage, Sampson is bracing for the sweetest ache of all: growing up in public.

1. “Growing Pains” opens with a laid-back acoustic riff before you confess, “I got growing pains, but I’m not getting taller.”
When did that line first surface in the writing process, and how does it capture the moment you’re in as a 22-year-old navigating the leap from small-town Canada to the global stage?
That lyric was one of the first lyrics I came up with in the writing session! I think that lyric alone sets the tone for my next EP. It captures the moment in my life I’m at right now perfectly. I just moved away back in April to Los Angeles from my small town in Canada and there’s so much that’s different, and so much I miss about home. It’s just something I have to do for my career.

2. People Magazine says your music “takes listeners back to the sounds and vulnerability of 2000s’ singer-songwriters.” How does the sonic palette of “Growing Pains” push beyond the glossy pop of last year’s Hopeless Romantic EP, and what new textures or production tricks did you experiment with to get there?
Growing Pains is the start of me finding myself as an artist. After Hopeless Romantic, I wanted to sit down in the studio and write and really find out what I wanted to say and what kind of music I wanted to make. I think I’ve found it and I’m very excited to hear what my fans are going to think!

3. You started by posting covers from your bedroom in a tiny Canadian town, yet you’ve now racked up 131 million global streams and 5.2 million followers. Which parts of that original DIY mindset still shape how you write and record today—especially on a song as introspective as “Growing Pains”?

I didn’t even know I had that many streams! I’ve always had a DIY mindset when it comes to my music and the content I make that surrounds it. I’m lucky enough to have a wonderful team around me that I can piggyback off of, but I’ve always been a hard worker. In my opinion the only person that’s in the way of me making it big is myself so I always try and work as hard as I can.

4. You’ll premiere the single live just five days after release on the Wells Fargo Stage at Hudson Yards on July 23. What story do you want that New York audience to walk away with, and how are you translating the track’s intimate confession into a big-city set design?

I’m super excited to perform Growing Pains in New York! NYC has some of my favorite memories performing on tour. I hope people walk away wanting to call their family to tell them they love them after hearing Growing Pains and my set.

5. On America’s Got Talent you belted “Pretty Baby” and “If You Were My Girl” under serious pressure. In what ways did that national-TV baptism change your approach to performing—particularly as you prepare for Hudson Yards?

AGT was some of my first times performing! I learned a lot about what I liked and what I didn’t like watching back my performance. I know now to interact with the crowd a lot more and be more fun and confident all around! If you watch my auditions I stood still pretty much the whole time on every, and now I’m lucky if I stand still for a second on stage.

6. “Pretty Baby” cracked the iTunes Pop Top 10 and “If You Were My Girl” the Top 15, while “Used To You” has already cleared a million streams. How do those early chart wins influence your expectations for “Growing Pains,” and do metrics still matter once the song is out in the world?
Having my songs on the iTunes Charts is such a dream and I’m so grateful that I got a little glimpse of that last year! No matter what, I am going to continue to make the greatest music I can and hopefully the numbers continue to grow!

7. The refrain “I’m still a kid inside… In the end, it’s fine, and if it’s not, it’s not the end tonight” feels like a Gen-Z life raft. How do you personally manage that tug-of-war between self-doubt and optimism, and will this theme thread through the unreleased music you’re teasing for later this year?
The promotional part of Growing Pains has had me in shambles honestly. Looking back at old photos and videos has made me pretty emotional at times. I’m so blessed with the family I have and the place I grew up in. I’ll always miss being a kid and my family. I’m still the same person I was and I always have them to fall back on when I’m going through anything. Family, love, growing up, love, and growing pains are all concepts that are all over this next EP.

8. You just wrapped a North American and European run supporting Jamie Miller. What was the single biggest lesson you picked up from those stages, and how will it reshape the way you command the Hudson Yards crowd—and every show after?
The biggest thing I learned from going on a world wide tour is how dedicated and sweet my fanbase is. I’ll never take them for granted. Something I always try and do is meet as many people that come to the shows as I can afterwards. I’m excited for my headline tour early next year because I’ll be able to do a meet and greet package and have more time with my fans!

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