Q&A: Sam Tabor Gets Vulnerable on His New Single ‘Bleed Me Dry’
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY NEO VASQUEZ ☆
AFTER YEARS OF MAKING PEOPLE LAUGH, SAM TABOR IS READY TO MAKE THEM FEEL SOMETHING ELSE—the Louisville-born singer-songwriter and content creator returns with “Bleed Me Dry,” a synth-streaked new single that trades his usual raw honesty for something a little more theatrical, and a lot more vulnerable.
Before he ever picked up a guitar in front of a camera, Tabor was already reaching millions of people as a comedy and gaming creator, racking up over 1.5 million YouTube subscribers along the way. Music came first, though—he picked up his first guitar at eight, inspired by his mother's voice and his older brother's record collection—and it's the space he's chosen to be most unguarded in.
His 2025 debut album, I Hope They Set You Free, was a solo, deeply personal record made in Nashville with former Wilco drummer Ken Coomer, and its follow-up single “Coffee” turned caffeine into a stand-in for every coping mechanism that never quite works. “Bleed Me Dry” pushes further into that same world, dressing up a story about all-consuming devotion in vampire imagery and, for the first time, letting someone else fully into the room: co-writer and producer Micah Tawlks, known for his work with Hayley Williams, Niall Horan, Ben Rector, The Brook & The Bluff and Louis Prince.
Luna caught up with Sam to talk about the line that started it all, what it's like handing over creative control for the first time and why he's finally ready to let his comedy audience see this side of him.
Photo by Antonio Pantoja
LUNA: “Bleed Me Dry” leans hard into vampire imagery, what made that metaphor click for you over a more literal way of describing the feeling?
TABOR: Honestly, the whole vampire metaphor started with the first line that naturally came out while I was writing the chorus: “I know the reason why you only leave your house at night.” As soon as I wrote that, my mind went straight to vampires, and it kind of shaped the rest of the song from there. It became a fun, slightly exaggerated way of describing the feeling of being willing to give everything to someone—even to the point of letting them “bleed you dry.” I think putting that feeling into this vampire world was just more interesting to me than saying it in a completely literal way.
LUNA: What makes “Bleed Me Dry” hit differently than your other work? Where did you draw inspiration from?
TABOR: I think this song hits differently because it really leans into a synth-heavy sound that I’d never experimented with before. Micah was the one who first brought that element into the song, and as soon as he played those synth chords under the first chorus, I was like, “Whoa, this one is different.” I’d also been listening to a lot of upbeat, fun music with a lot of synth in it—especially Petey USA and Medium Build—so it felt exciting to lean into a style that was pretty different from what I usually do. We had a ton of fun making this one, and I think you can hear that in the song.
LUNA: This track is described as your most expansive musical statement yet. What changed in how you approached the sound this time around?
TABOR: It’s kind of funny, because this song probably had the least amount of planning of anything I’ve ever made. Originally, I was just invited to co-write a song with Micah Tawlks, and while we were making the demo and recording our ideas, I immediately fell in love with the production. It was actually my first time ever co-writing, so I think the biggest change was letting someone else into the creative process in a way I hadn’t before. Micah had so many cool ideas and made a lot of production choices that I never would’ve thought of on my own, and I really think that’s what gave the track that expansiveness. Instead of going in with a specific idea of what the song needed to sound like, we just followed whatever felt exciting, and it ended up feeling bigger and more different than anything I’d made up to that point.
LUNA: Was co-writing with Micah a bigger shift for you than the production side was, and is that something you want to keep doing going forward?
TABOR: It’s funny, because on paper, co-writing probably should have been the bigger shift since I’d never done it before. But it felt so easy and natural writing with Micah that it really didn’t feel like I was stepping out of my comfort zone at all. My time in the studio with him was probably the most fun I’ve ever had in a studio, and he made the whole process feel seamless. More than that, he's just an awesome dude to hang with outside of the studio. I’d absolutely love to work with him again. More than anything, making this song has shown me how fun it can be to collaborate, and this song has already changed the way I think about writing and producing my own music going forward.
LUNA: Starting as a comedy and gaming creator, was there hesitation about bringing that same audience into something as personal as your music?
TABOR: For sure. It took me a few years to finally decide to put my music out there because I’m “known” for something so vastly different. I used to worry—and still occasionally do—about people not being able to take me seriously. But the older I get, the more I think it’s pretty cool to show different sides of yourself. I’ve actually been playing music longer than I’ve been making videos. I think it can, and probably will, catch a lot of people off guard, but I’m okay with that. As long as the music connects with someone out there, I’m stoked.
LUNA: What can fans expect next—is there a bigger project or tour on the horizon?
TABOR: I’ve been working on an album for the past year that I’m incredibly excited about. It’s definitely the biggest and most adventurous project I’ve made so far, and I feel like I’ve been pushing myself into sounds and ideas that I probably wouldn’t have explored a few years ago. More than anything, I wanted to make a record that feels exciting and fun to listen to from beginning to end, and I’m really proud of where it’s heading. As far as touring goes, there’s nothing I can announce just yet, but I’d absolutely love to bring these songs to more people live. For now, I’m really excited to start sharing more of the album soon.
Photo by Zac Estes
