Today, RIAA 2X PLATINUM-certified singer/songwriter Sam Barber shares his new song, “Man of the Year” — a soul-baring reflection on life’s endless uncertainty and struggle. His first new music since his acclaimed debut album Restless Mind, “Man of the Year” adds a stunning new intensity to his sparse yet powerful sound. Go here to listen to “Man of the Year” now.

Written entirely by Barber, “Man of the Year” opens as the 21-year-old artist takes stock of the despair all around him and within his own heart (“Is it in my mind, or are we all just sinking?/ Still fueled by the pain that never left me last season”). As the moody but cathartic track reaches its chorus, Barber shares his personal philosophy and finds his own version of solace: “You gotta take it as it goes ’cause it doesn’t get easier, dear/It’s all an empty hole, and fuck it if I ain’t the man of the year….No matter what you know, there’s no making sense of why we’re here.” Threaded with plenty of hard truths (“I’m trying, but money ain’t enough to make me feel like a rich man”), “Man of the Year” ultimately delivers an unforgettable anthem for surviving a potentially soul-crushing world.

Produced by Ryan Hewitt (Noah Kahan, Cody Jinks) and Joe Becker, “Man of the Year” brings Barber’s existential musings to a brooding collision of Country and Folk-Rock. With its potent rhythms and urgent acoustic guitar work, the track intensifies its melancholy mood with a cascade of shadowy textures and darkly hypnotic guitar tones. Emblazoned with a flurry of banjo riffs at the bridge, the result is an exquisite setting for Barber’s captivating voice and its gritty expression of weary determination. 

With over 1.5 BILLION global streams to date, Barber claimed his space in the Country spotlight with the arrival of Restless Mind — a 28-song tour-de-force including his 2X PLATINUM “Straight and Narrow” (a No. 13 hit on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart), “Indigo (feat. Avery Anna)” (a No. 42 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 now with over 300 MILLION global streams), and “Better Year” (an emotionally charged anthem featured on Paramount’s blockbuster TV show Yellowstone). Released last November via Lockeland Springs/Atlantic Records, the album was followed by the RESTLESS MIND WORLD TOUR 2025 — a major international run including headline and festival appearances across the U.S., U.K., and Europe.

Next Tuesday, Barber will kick off his SOLD-OUT tour of Australia — an eight-stop headline trek featuring Jonah Kagen as support. A truly enthralling live performer, he’ll also take the stage at CMA Fest in June, then embark on the recently announced SAM BARBER NORTH AMERICA TOUR. With dates currently scheduled through December 5, the massive headline tour already has multiple SOLD-OUT dates with many on the verge of also reaching this status. The anxiously awaited tour includes stops at iconic venues like The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles (August 22), New York City’s Webster Hall (November 5 and 6) and more. Go here for more information.

ANNOUNCED DATES FOR SAM BARBER NORTH AMERICA TOUR:

MAY
29 | Isle of Palms, SC - The Windjammer – SOLD OUT
30 | St. Augustine, FL - The Saint Augustine Amphitheatre ^  – LOW TICKETS
31 | Panama City Beach, FL - Gulf Coast Jam #

JUNE
6 | Nashville, TN - CMA Fest #
7 | Fishers, IN - Nickel Plate Amphitheater – LOW TICKETS
13 | Memphis, TN - Minglewood Hall – LOW TICKETS
14 | Cape Giradeau, MO - Freedom Fest #
19 | Lewisburg, WV - Wild Trails Festival #
20 | Wildwood, NJ - Barefoot Country Music Fest #
21 | Norfolk, VA - The NorVa – SOLD OUT

JULY
10 | Columbus, OH - KEMBA Live!  – UPGRADED
11 | Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE – UPGRADED
12 | Detroit, MI - Masonic Temple Theatre – UPGRADED
13 | Chicago, IL - Windy City Smokeout #
17 | St. Louis, MO - The Factory – LOW TICKETS
18 | Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom – SOLD OUT
19 | O'Neill, NE - Summerfest Celebration #
20 | Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue – SOLD OUT
23 | Columbia, MO - 9th Street Public House – LOW TICKETS
24 | Kansas City, MO - The Midland Theatre – SOLD OUT
26 | Fargo, ND - UP District Festival Field

AUGUST
7 | Boise, ID - Outlaw Field at the Idaho Botanical Garden
8 | Spokane, WA - Gesa Credit Union Pavilion
9 | Tacoma, WA - Dune Peninsula
11 | Vancouver, BC - Queen Elizabeth Theatre – SOLD OUT
15 | Forest Grove, OR - Grand Lodge
16 | Eugene, OR - McDonald Theatre – SOLD OUT
18 | Sacramento, CA - Channel 24 – SOLD OUT
20 | San Francisco, CA - The Warfield – UPGRADED
22 | Los Angeles, CA - The Fonda Theatre – SOLD OUT
23 | San Diego, CA - Humphrey's Concerts By the Bay – SOLD OUT
27 | Flagstaff, AZ - Pepsi Amphitheater
28 | Santa Fe, NM - The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing – LOW TICKETS
29 | Denver, CO - Mission Ballroom – LOW TICKETS

SEPTEMBER
5 | Hutchinson, KS - Kansas State Fair # ~
6 | Stillwater, OK - Tumbleweed Dance Hall
13 | Toronto, ON - Danforth Music Hall – SOLD OUT

OCTOBER
12 | Salt Lake City, UT - RedWest Fest #
31 | Asheville, NC - Asheville Yards

NOVEMBER
1 | Raleigh, NC - The Ritz – SOLD OUT
5 | New York, NY - Webster Hall – SOLD OUT
6 | New York, NY - Webster Hall – SOLD OUT
7 | Philadelphia, PA - Franklin Music Hall – LOW TICKETS
8 | Boston, MA – Roadrunner – SOLD OUT
19 | Atlanta, GA - The Eastern 
20 | Atlanta, GA - The Eastern – SOLD OUT
21 | St. Petersburg, FL - St. Pete Fest #
22 | Orlando, FL - The Plaza Live – SOLD OUT

DECEMBER
3 | Las Vegas, NV - The Theater at Virgin Hotels
5 | Fort Worth, TX - Billy Bob's Texas – SOLD OUT

# festival date
^ support from Waylon Wyatt and Noah Rinker
~ special guest Avery Anna

KEEP UP WITH SAM BARBER
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | YOUTUBE

ABOUT SAM BARBER:
Now that Sam Barber has your attention, he’s looking forward to holding onto it a while. “I love making anything that can affect someone emotionally,” Barber says. The 21-year-old singer/songwriter from Southeast Missouri has already seen his career begin on a meteoric rise, and his debut album, Restless Mind, released in November 2024, is poised to send him into orbit. The RESTLESS MIND WORLD TOUR featured Barber’s SOLD-OUT Ryman Auditorium debut and a showcase slot at the GoldenSky Festival, reaching the U.S., Europe, and Australia. Now Barber is set to take on a colossal coast-to-coast run throughout 2025 with his SAM BARBER NORTH AMERICA TOUR, introducing tens of thousands of new fans to his energetic and emotional live show. With over 1.5 BILLION global streams to date, Barber continues to stack career milestones with “Indigo (feat. Avery Anna)” marking his Billboard Hot 100 chart entry and high-profile TV performances on The Kelly Clarkson Show and CBS Saturday Morning. After the success of his 2X PLATINUM-certified 2023 single “Straight and Narrow,” Barber combines raw honesty and youthful enthusiasm in a way that has forced him into nearly every conversation about the future of Country music. In the wake of the Restless Mind album and tour, that future may well belong to Barber.