Recording artist Samoht is one of those people that people “put you on to.” The North Carolina native is making his distinct waves in the music industry by finding, curating, and fine-tuning his voice and sound, like nothing you have ever heard.

If you had to stick Samoht into a category, Alternative R&B is the best label, but it’s far too limiting for his musical stylings and vocal acrobatics. His sound’s got a little church, a little soul, a little biscuit, and molasses in it. It’s a delicious blend of bouncy, heavy vocals and thoughtful melodies. 

Samoht is down-home with a refined twist. During his chat with BET.com, Samoht was grabbing lunch at a local chicken shack in between preparing for shows. He was interrupted by someone he hadn’t seen in a long time, tapping on his window to say, “What up, folk!” And Samoht took a moment to greet his old friend and encourage him simply, “Stay up!”

That’s the kind of country Samoht is–it’s familiar, comforting, and spiritual just being in his presence. His music gives the same feeling, but somehow, that feeling goes deeper. It seeps into your soul. This intimate quality in Samoht’s music is reflected in his character. He’s the type of person who sees people’s hearts, or he calls it, the child side of people. He uses these powers for good, often pouring into and encouraging those he meets.

BET.com: If you had to put a label on your sound, what would you call it?

Samoht: I don't think a word is worthy of my sound. But I will call it Omni— it’s just everything, everywhere, always. I cannot be boxed in. I say alternative R&B, and I say R&B because I'm Black. I sound like somebody's uncle on a deacon board when I sing. 

BET.com: What songs of yours should people listen to?

Samoht: Definitely listen to that “Yellow Diamond.” Listen to “I'm Not God” and then listen to this song called “Shundao.”

BET.com: “Shundao,” is that like speaking in tongues?

Samoht: Yes! [laughs] And this is why I love me. I implement every detail of my upbringing. 

BET.com: When and how did you first fall in love with music or knew that music was a thing for you?

Samoht: So my grandma, her name is Carrie Lillian. I was at church–this is one of my first memories ever–I just remember sitting in somebody's lap and I saw my grandmother singing this song and she was shaking her head and just singing real hard. She was sweating. My mom was on the organ and I just remember, I felt something. I didn't know what I felt, but I knew it was special. And ever since then, I was just like, ‘I want to feel that. I want to do that. Whatever she [grandma] doing, I want that.’

BET.com: How do you feel like you've found what your voice has become?

Samoht: It's very important to find your own sound. You have your…like, what you're just given, gift-wise. But also, I became infatuated with the sounds of the Earth, like how the wind sounds. And then it goes to instrumentation; I love the flute. I love the saxophone. I love the harp. I love the violin. So instead of trying to sound like other people, I would try to sound like, ‘If a bear could sing, how would a bear sound?’

BET.com: How do you feel about your journey thus far?

Samoht: Today, I feel amazing about my journey, not tomorrow. It's up and down. There's so much that comes at me at one time. This mountain is very heavy, so it's easy for somebody to come in and be like, ‘Yo, you should do this!’ I have to fight everyday mentally, to execute. From writing the songs to getting with the producer, to paying for this and that, people expecting a certain thing from you a certain way at a certain time. Like, I haven't even talked to my mom today. I didn't even eat. I didn't do anything normal. When your creativity becomes your job, you have to…I've learned to take out time to do absolutely nothing. That's where that arrogance comes in; that’s where that ego can come in. So, I do self-work more than making songs.

BET.com: You’ve put out your third album, Amor [Nov. 10th]. What does this mean to you?

Samoht: This means erry-thang, not everything. The kid in me is like, ‘Yo, you really doing this back to back?’ I'm like, ‘Yeah, we really doing this. I told you, I got you.’ This is some of my best work to date. It's fresh. It’s new. This is a new era for me. I feel awkward sometimes because it's so new and I'm just standing in that awkwardness, happy to be here. It's gonna be a good run. I really believe that this album is gonna change my life even more in a way that I can't even imagine.

BET.com: Why do you feel that way about this one?

Samoht: Because it's a different frequency. Before, my music was about coming out of the darkness or meeting people where they are emotionally, mentally, helping people with suicide. Whereas this project is like, ‘Okay, I've gone where you are. I've even gone where I was. Now let's go to a higher vibration. Let's let's be in love.’

BET.com: Why love? And why in Spanish?

Samoht: I’m working on my Spanish and so only the way to do it is to implement it into my work. So that’s one word I know. Check back next week to see what I got. [laughs] But love because that's what I've been doing my whole life, even when I feared rejection, I stop myself from love and I'm not in that place anymore. 

And it's not just about romantic love. It's about romanticizing every part of life, just making everything special because it is. Have you ever taken a picture and in the moment you're like, ‘Oh yeah I just took a picture,’ and then a few years go by you go, ‘Oh, man. I remember that day. I ate this. I remember we went there.’ Now everything is joyful. Even the argument is funny. It's like this photo is reminding you of how precious that moment was. I  want to treat each moment like a picture.

BET.com: What's next for you?

Samoht: I'm looking forward to growing even more. I don't want to do just music. I want to be an actor, you know, be a fine artist. That's a double entendre.

Stream Samoht’s new album here.