The commercial contemporary country song “Don’t Blink” marks the third consistent run of singles for Sammi Palinkas including “Meet in the Middle” which debuted at #3 on the Australian iTunes chart, #8 All Genre, and charted in the official Australian Country Radio Hot 50 Chart (CountryTown), while streaming single “You’ve Lived” debuted at #5 on the Australian iTunes Country Chart.
While currently recording her debut album with award-winning producer, Rod McCormack (Paul Kelly, The Wolfe Brothers and Lee Kernaghan), “Don’t Blink”, co-written with Rod McCormack, serves as a positive, uplifting reminder that life is short and to appreciate every moment whilst we can.
“Rod brought this idea into our write, and I instantly connected with it” Palinkas said. “I had just been retrenched in a restructure at an organisation I had worked at for nearly 10 years, and the period of reflection that came afterwards was invaluable. I had worked hard, long hours, and had been stressed out for a long time. In my last week a friend reminded me that ‘no one was going to stand up at my funeral and say Sammi did a great job at the company I was working for. They were going to talk about my legacy’. At that moment I realised as much as working hard was personally rewarding, there were important moments I’d sacrificed because I had put work first, furthermore time and experiences that I couldn’t get back. My Mum, Dad and Nan have given me so much great life advice as I’ve grown up. Rod and I wanted to write ‘Don’t Blink’ as a gentle reminder to listen to the advice and experience of those around you, because life flies by when we get caught up in the day to day, and it can all be over much sooner than we realise. Cody Johnson’s ‘Til You Can’t’ is a song both Rod and I love. It has such an uplifting feel that draws you in, and then delivers a hook and a message that really makes you think – it’s almost bittersweet against the general feeling of the song. When writing ‘Don’t Blink’, Rod and I wanted to create something positive and memorable to listen to, but when it counts really makes you think.” – Sammi Palinkas
With a lifetime of accolades, from winning a national televised singing competition at age 8, to starring in SEL/GFO’s Melbourne season of “Annie” at age 11, Sammi has developed her craft and written for many years between Australia and the US (LA, NY, Nashville), collaborating with renowned songwriters and producers including Andrew Bolooki (Selena Gomez, The Weekend, Post Malone), Fiona Kernaghan (Mindy McReady, Tina Arena), Sally Barris (Trisha Yearwood, Martina McBride, Lee Ann Womack), Sam Gay (Deric Ruttan, Little Texas, Bryan White) and Templeton Thompson (Reba McEntire, Jo Dee Messina and Little Texas) amongst others.