Sam DeRosa Gives a First Look At “Pill For This” in New Video

Hot on the heels of her appearance on Songland, New York songwriter Sam DeRosa is out with a new video for her track “Pill For This.”

Videos by American Songwriter

After attending Berklee College of Music, DeRosa scored a hit co-writing “Broken” for lovelytheband, which led to more writing sessions and eventually a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell.

She was hesitant when the opportunity to appear on Songland first presented itself, “I said, ‘No,’ three times. I felt like I was meant to earn my career, not win it. But when I learned more about the show, I decided to do it. And it became a life-changing moment.”

Her performance of was so strong she not only impressed all the judges, but was immediately offered a record deal by multi-Grammy award winning producer Shane McAnally.

The lyrical content of the song is somber, but between DeRosa’s heartfelt delivery and ability to pinpoint an infectious melody, “Pill For This” would work nearly as well as a standalone vocal, and the production wisely sits back and lets DeRosa do the work.

Asked about the inspiration for the song, DeRosa tells American Songwriter, “The story around “Pill For This” is about a feeling or a person that you can’t shake. Isn’t it crazy how we can medicate for almost anything: headaches, sinuses, broken bones, but never for a broken heart? That’s where this song came from.”

The new video features DeRosa alternately enjoying time with a former lover and enduring the heartbreak of their relationship’s aftermath.

“The whole video is supposed to be a metaphor,” she said. “It’s a dramatized and magnified version of the journey into the mind of someone who’s experiencing heartbreak and loss.”

Asked how the song evolved after her Songland appearance, DeRosa explained, “The writing didn’t change at all actually! But we did make the song into a ballad, which I never thought it would be, but I was so pleasantly surprised. I couldn’t believe how many people resonated with my story and my song.”

Sam DeRosa plans to release more content throughout 2020.