Singer/songwriter, bandleader, and human being Samantha Bowers first began writing songs at age 12 while taking piano lessons and listening to Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel and Freddie Mercury playing on the family stereo. By 16, she developed a love of jazz and began to study the great female vocalists of the century (mainly Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James and Sarah Vaughn). She and the Friends make music that has elements of pop, soul, funk, rock and jazz and focus on themes like coming-of-age, defiance, and self-expression. Their genre blending performances are high-energy, honest and quirky, influenced by the great performances of those childhood classic rock heroes. Coming Home Song is about treating yourself like you’d treat a best friend. It’s a play on the idea that people are harder on themselves than they would be a friend so the song is encouraging self-compassion.