Sammy Virji

Sammy Virji is a prominent UK garage producer and DJ, widely recognized for his blend of old-school garage sounds with modern, bass-heavy twists. Born Samuel Bashir Virji on September 30, 1996, in London and raised in Oxford, his father Fayyaz Virji played trombone on Lauryn Hill's seminal 1998 LP The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and he followed him into music. He emerged in the late 2010s as a key player in the revival of UK garage, the so-called NUKG movement, infusing the genre with energetic, feel-good vibes and a sometimes cartoonish visual aesthetic that helped him to stand out. He gained widespread attention with 2017's "Never Let You Go" edit, which blew up on SoundCloud and he put out a string of further singles in thrall to a giddy, bass-boosted UK sound. His debut LP Spice Up My Life was released in 2020 and featured vocalists Paige Eliza, Dread MC, and other contributors. The LP reached number 7 on the UK Dance Albums Chart and number 48 on the UK Independent Albums Chart. He went on to release collaborative singles with the likes of Flava D (2022's "Truth") and Flowdan (2023's "Shella Verse") and put out two EPs (2021's We'll Be Alright and 2022's Blue Breeze) before breaking into the Official UK Singles Chart in 2023 with viral hit "If U Need It." 2024 saw the release of the "Summertime Blues" single with Chris Lake and Nathan Nicholson. Riding the momentum, he capped 2024 with BBC Radio 1’s Essential Mix of the Year and expanded his U.S. footprint before pivoting to album mode with Same Day Cleaning—released on 19 September 2025 via Polydor/Capitol UK—which featured singles such as "Cops & Robbers" (with Skepta), "Nostalgia" (with Issey Cross), and "Dis Badman" (with Champion & IRAH), alongside collaborations with Giggs, MJ Cole, and Tuff Jam.