Sam Martin rose to prominence in the 2010s as a sought-after singer and songwriter whose contributions powered chart successes for Maroon 5, Jason Derulo, David Guetta, and additional acts. The first track he placed with Maroon 5, “Daylight” in 2012, reached the top position on the Billboard Top 40, while his partnership with Ziggy Marley on the 2014 album Fly Rasta earned the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album. Outside his studio work, he co-fronts the pop/rap outfit Con Bro Chill, which delivered his debut EP, Blue Tuesday, in 2018.
Samuel Denison Martin entered the world in New York City in 1983 and spent his childhood in Lake Oswego, Oregon. After finishing high school he enrolled at Berklee School of Music, remaining for two years before withdrawing to launch his professional career. In 2009 he and his brother Connor Martin launched Con Bro Chill, a soulfully cheeky band spanning pop, rock, and rap. Early visibility arrived through viral videos that helped the group transition into a touring act; their first album, 3D Music, appeared in 2012.
Martin simultaneously secured a songwriting agreement with Warner Music Group. Momentum built when Maroon 5 recorded his composition “Daylight” for their third album, Overexposed, released in 2012. The placement expanded his network, leading to collaborations with Ziggy Marley and T.I. In 2014 he supplied lyrics and vocals to David Guetta’s international hits “Lovers on the Sun” and “Dangerous.” He rejoined Maroon 5 the same year for their fifth studio album, V, contributing the tracks “It Was Always You” and “Coming Back for You.”
Later featured appearances encompassed Flo Rida’s “Dirty Mind” in 2015, Steve Angello’s “Nothing Scares Me Anymore” in 2018, and Armin van Buuren’s “Wild Wild Son,” also from 2018. That year Martin released the EP Blue Tuesday, which contained his own take on Maroon 5’s “It Was Always You” plus covers of songs by U2 and the Beatles. The standalone single “Long Live the Billionaire” surfaced in 2018 as well.
