Sam Fender’s Seventeen Going Under - from sleeper hit to Glastonbury showcase in just one year

Sam Fender’s incredible track Seventeen Going Under released one year ago today, and since then has had a meteoric rise
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Local lad Sam Fender has risen like no other through the ranks of musicians and charts with his single Seventeen Going Under.

The sleeper hit, which released one year ago today, has let the North Shields-born musician tour a sell-out show, mark his first Glastonbury slot and charmed the hearts of a nation.

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Marking Fender’s highest-charted single so far, Seventeen Going Under rose and rose to the Number 3 slot after its release on July 7 of last year.

Since then, Fender has gone on to mark notable sellout shows in his hometown, with a phenomenal Utilita Arena show in November last year, as well as an intimate set at City Hall.

But the track, which laments the life of the singer at the eponymous age of 17, has become a huge hit and a source of comfort for those that originally highlighted the song on TikTok.

Sam Fender marked the penultimate act of the Pyramid Stage during his first time performing at GlastonburySam Fender marked the penultimate act of the Pyramid Stage during his first time performing at Glastonbury
Sam Fender marked the penultimate act of the Pyramid Stage during his first time performing at Glastonbury

Released to promote the chart-topping album of the same name, Seventeen Going Under has become a fast favourite of Fender fans.

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He even featured alongside fellow Geordie’s Ant and Dec on Saturday Night Takeaway to take the track to the small screen.

It was clear from the audiences of those sellout gigs and TV appearances that the track was taking off.

So much so that more than 14,000 Radio X listeners voted it the Best of British music in 2022, while just last month Fender picked up a remarkable Ivor Novello Award for the track.

The Novello Award, which has been received by the likes of Paul McCartney, Sting and Jarvis Cocker marks Fender as a fast-growing lyricist with plenty of momentum behind him.

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He was first nominated for the Ivor Novello award for his track Dead Boys, and marked his first win with Seventeen Going Under for Best Song Musically and Lyrically.

But it isn’t just repeating chart-topping success or picking up awards left and right for the 28-year-old, the track was a central point to his recent Glastonbury debut.

The singer took to the notorious Pyramid Stage to mark the penultimate main stage set of Friday’s setlist which featured Billie Eilish and Crowded House.

His Glastonbury debut showed Fender was spotted rattling out a tightly crafted setlist of hits that delighted fans both at home and in his hometown.

Naturally, that setlist included Seventeen Going Under. It’s the track that got him there. Deservedly so.