Sam Stoane somehow managed to release her debut album amidst the busiest year of her life. On the latest episode of the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast (which was actually a double episode), California native Sam Stoane spoke on the pressure she sometimes feels to defend the state she was born and raised in. The rising country singer then covered how it feels being one of the only Greek artists in the genre, and the legendary influences that shape her sound – like Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline That old country sound shines through in Stoane’s debut album, Tales of the Dark West, which could best be described as a love letter to the western stylings of the genre. And it came during what Sam referred to as a “big year,” because in 2025, she released that project, got married, and had a baby. When we asked Sam about all of those things happening all at once, she described just one week of 2025 that was incredibly slammed… but at the end of the day, brought her a lot of joy: “The week of my record being released, we did an album release show, a baby shower, and then I think it was my birthday. It was just a lot in one week. It was awesome. Everybody came to town and it felt like a wedding.” So that week felt like a wedding… and they still had their actual wedding to come. As for the rest of the busyness of 2025, Sam Stoane says her marriage to husband, Gareth Bell (who plays guitar in her band), her debut album release, and the birth of her little girl – Janie – all happened from March through August. Both her and Bell had been married once before, so they opted for elopement because they wanted the moment to feel more personal and focused on each other: “We just eloped in Franklin and then went on an overnight getaway. That was in March, and then May was everything else. And it was just any way that I could push it from there or get on the road. Then my baby girl came in August.” @whiskeyriff @SAM STOANE #whiskeyriff #whiskeyriffraff ♬ Close To You – Sam Stoane Talk about a whirlwind. Obviously, because of the order in which things happened, Stoane wasn’t able to get out on the road as much as she would have liked to. She plans on getting out in front of her fans more in the near future, and has been comforted by lots of messages from fans saying they love everything about Tales of the Dark West. And though the music on the road stopped for a bit so that she and her husband could focus on their daughter, the music has continued within Sam Stoane’s household. Because of that, the rising country singer has discovered that her little girl has a great taste in country music: “One of us is always humming or singing or whistling, and our daughter loves it. When we sing, she’s like fixated. She loves watching him play guitar… Something musical is always happening in the house, or we are playing music. So far, Janie loves George Strait and Cody Johnson. If she’s having a fit, we put them on and she (calms down). It’s really cute.” First off, Strait and Johnson are stellar favorites to have before turning one. And second… what a tool Bell and Stoane have in their parenting tool belt. You can hear Sam speak more on being a mother and crafting her country music career by downloading the podcast on Apple Podcasts by searching “Whiskey Riff Raff” or by clicking here. We’re also available on Spotify and wherever else you can listen to podcasts. Cheers, y’all. Audio Video The post “It Was A Big Year”: Sam Stoane Details How She Released Her Debut Album, Got Married & Had A Baby All In 2025 first appeared on Whiskey Riff.