Northern Michigan University student Sami Brown of Waco, Texas, has demonstrated her dual talents as a soccer player, entering her final season as a Wildcat, and as a singer/guitarist. She advanced through an early-stage American Idol qualifier as a high school junior and performs at Marquette-area venues in her limited free time. She will play before her largest audience yet when she opens for country duo Maddie & Tae during NMU's 125th anniversary Homecoming celebration.
Brown will take the stage at the free outdoor concert at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, in the gravel lot behind the Superior Dome. The headliners will follow at 7:30.
“I've listened to Maddie & Tae for several years and I'm a big fan, so having this opportunity at what will be a huge campus and community event is the coolest thing ever,” she said. “It's a genre of music I feel really comfortable performing. I brought my nice belt buckle from back home in Texas and I've got my good cowgirl hat, of course. I'm just really thankful to the school for giving me this chance. Hopefully I'll be able to give back and do a fine job representing a place I've come to know and love so well by doing something that I love. It will be a special and memorable night.”
The concert begins a short time after the soccer team's first conference game of the season. The quick turnaround between Brown's two passions is reminiscent of a memory she shared from her junior year in high school, when she rushed from soccer practice to American Idol auditions in downtown Waco with only a half-hour to spare before the doors closed. The line of aspiring contestants spanned several blocks earlier in the day, but she was able to get in quickly after her late arrival. She entered a large room with tables and judges and played three songs for about 30 seconds each.
“They gave me a yellow paper at the end, so I'm thinking I'm going to meet Katy Perry,” Brown laughed. “But it was very early in the process. I went into another room with one judge and performed other songs and earned the green sticker you needed to advance. The next stop was a media room, where they talked to me and got my whole life story on video. Then they sent that to producers. If they liked you, then you got a Skype interview. I got that, but it was the last round I made it through. I had no expectations going in, so the whole two-week process was awesome and a confidence-builder.”
Brown said the American Idol judges told her they were looking for more modern music for the show. Her tastes were heavily influenced by two family members. Her paternal grandma listened to classic country greats like Patsy Cline and Kitty Wells. Her dad exposed her to a variety of genres and artists growing up, which has proved helpful in developing a playlist for each gig to better match the theme and audience. He also convinced her to play the guitar, rather than the drums, to better complement her vocals.
“Thank goodness I listened to him,” she said. “We took guitar lessons together when I was 10 and it was like a bonding ritual. I would do half of each hour-long lesson and he would do the other half. I never thought I was any good at it, but my guitar teacher in high school thought I was and told me I could do gigs if I started with 30 songs in my repertoire to cover at least two sets. I got thrown into it playing at an open house at a ranch for the real estate company listing the property. It was kind of a trial by fire, but from 17 on, I've been playing gigs.”
Brown has typically played covers, with an eclectic mix ranging from Janis Joplin and Norah Jones to Willie Nelson and Radiohead. Her first album of original acoustic songs, which she recorded in Waco this summer, also explores various genres. Her plan is to release Seeker this fall.
Brown arrived at Northern in 2023. She had entered the soccer transfer portal after her junior year at a Texas university and NMU Head Coach Jon Sandoval reached out to her. After talking with the remaining staff and some players, she committed to play for the Wildcats on blind faith, without a campus visit because of the long distance. Brown is in her fifth year of eligibility, which the NCAA granted athletes because of the pandemic.
“It's been absolutely amazing here,” she said. “We won the conference title for the first time in program history my first season. It was really exciting to see all the hard work we put in come to fruition, and the atmosphere of success makes you want to perform better as an athlete for yourself and the team. The academics have been great as well; I graduated with my bachelor's in accounting and started on my MBA this summer.
“And community-wise, everyone is so kind, the area is beautiful, and the music community has been so nice and inclusive. They've helped me get plugged into the scene, whether it's songwriter workshops, jam sessions, open mics or playing gigs. Wherever the wind takes me, I know it's going to work out. I feel there's really a purpose behind whatever happens.”
The nice thing about music, particularly for singer/songwriters toting a guitar case, is that it is portable and can easily travel with them. Brown will continue to perform wherever the wind takes her. She plans to attend law school after completing her MBA from Northern.
