From noughties nu metal cover bands in the DC skate shoe-imprinted sands of his Cornish hometown, to his role in Nashville leading to dream collaborations with Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil and Foo Fighters’ Chris Shiflett, Sam Palladio’s musical journey has taken him places.

His trajectory changed forever when he was flown out to Music City, Tennessee in 2012 to film the pilot, leading to six seasons playing country musician Gunnar Scott for the hit musical drama series. Thankfully for musician and actor Palladio, the show had changed tack after a producer on an early iteration of the team had been open to actors with no musical competence playing guitars with no strings, with plans to digitally add strings in post. The rethink resulted in the show bolstering its authenticity with multi-Grammy-winning executive music producer and one-time Bob Dylan guitarist T Bone Burnett. “It could’ve very easily been, like, cowboy hats and a Glee version of country music, but it wasn’t. He set the tone for the music of Nashville being deeper,” says Palladio. “The first song I sang was written by John Paul White of The Civil Wars. Episode two, Elvis Costello wrote a song. He’s a gauge of great music.”

He’s also set tween hearts aflutter across the globe as a literal prince charming opposite Vanessa Hudgens in Netflix’s rom com movie hat-trick The Princess Switch, and played Joe Strummer in the recent film Bob Marley: One Love. “The stuff I’ve done has had some joy in it,” he says of his good-vibe roles. “I’ve been very fortunate that [Nashville] just made people feel good, and music is the great connector. I used to get a lot of messages saying it bonded a lot of families."

More recently, Palladio has turned his focus to his core identity as a musician, completing an under-wraps forthcoming album that’s been in the works for years. Connection is still the beating heart of his output, having released a particularly vulnerable single which served cathartically after his mother died. “Starting with ‘Something on my Mind’ being very personal and about losing my mother – about bearing all, in a sense… It’s been a really special start to me releasing music as an artist,” he says.

“I think people have connected to that song and the messaging,” he says of the fans who have shared experiences and stories. “One reached out when I first put out that song and said, ‘I lost someone and I haven’t been able to grieve or cry, and I listened to your song and suddenly I burst into tears, so thank you for helping me start the grieving process.’ It’s like well, fuck. That’s what I want to do with music really, is connect people,” he says. “If there’s a hundred people I’ve made some sort of difference to, that’s enough.”

This public vulnerability and openness has signified a new chapter for Palladio, having grown used to dealing in the imaginary problems of fictional characters in his outward-facing persona. “It’s usually smoke and mirrors,” he explains. “For a long time I didn’t lean into, ‘What’s Sam’s mental state,’ and how I felt being vulnerable on social media.”

Spanning the spectrum of his influences, Palladio’s rip-roaring new single “Tennessee” features Chris Shiflett of Foo Fighters on lead guitar. The pair had stayed in touch since Palladio opened for Shiflett on his solo UK tour in 2017. “When I was dreaming of this song and I wanted that fuzzy Black Keys kind of Jack White thing, I gave him a call and he said, ‘I’d love to,’” he recalls. "He sent back these amazing super-thick prog riffs. The solo was just one take, and it was perfect. It just had a little bit of country, which is his world – he’s got a country career going at the moment.”

Shiflett is just one of the impressive features Palladio has called in lately, and he’s seemingly a magnet for organic collaborations. “I seem to attract similar energy or something, I don’t know! I got really lucky,” he says. “Have I used all my favours on the first one?! I hope not!”

Palladio co-wrote his two latest singles with Ed Harcourt – an artist who he looks up to as “a virtuoso.” “Ed is like a mad scientist. I love his energy,” he says. “He’s a loose cannon in the best way. We really hit it off. By the end of that session I did have a few tears trying to record [“Something on my Mind”]. It was like trauma bonding, pretty intense. That song was really special so I knew I had to do more with Ed. I’d let my guard down a bit with him.”

As for the rest of his upcoming album, Palladio sees it as a representation of his trans-Atlantic journey, with influences and elements from genres, places and themes that have overtly inspired him. “There were a few opportunities where I probably could’ve just put a cowboy hat on and continued the Nashville [thing],” he explains, “but the record feels like it has enough of the headbangy, Britpoppy, Kaiser Chiefs guitar moments that I love, mixed with some real storyteller stuff.” He cites his track “Wake me up in Nashville” in the latter category: a true story about his Grandad missing a final farewell to his girlfriend in Tennessee during the war. “I couldn't believe that he had this Nashville connection as well,” says Palladio.

The country music industry is going through a period of scrutiny, with Palladio’s musician girlfriend Cassadee Pope hitting headlines for quitting the genre after speaking out against transphobia and racism. “It was a brave decision, and she was just calling out bigots really, and saying what a lot of people wouldn’t say,” he explains. “It was her and Maren Morris just going, ‘You know what, you can’t fucking say that. We’re not shy about standing up for that.’”

“I think the genre of country has people that really legitimise it and appreciate the history. Beyoncé’s new record is fucking amazing and she’s doing it the right way, using the right players and being selective,” he says, pointing to Rhiannon Giddens on "Texas Hold 'Em". “Then there’s the super commercial side of country music that’s still governed by a bunch of good old boys at the labels, and [Pope] has just been burnt a few too many times throughout the years. Also just becoming more of an activist and, as we all get a bit older, starting to think about the future and families, caring about people’s kids and gun control. So many of those big label artists have such a huge platform but just don’t talk about that, or support Trump-era politics.”

Palladio’s musical exploration started out strong: the first single he bought was “What I Am” by Tin Tin Out ft. Emma Bunton on CD, while the first song he wrote had the delightfully teenage title of “Why Didn’t She Text me Back?” “I had Music 2000, which was a PlayStation game that predates Logic and ProTools,” he explains. “Me and my friend made some tracks on that game, and I think what I did was I played the song in the game through the TV, recorded it on an old cassette player and then sang over the ambient sound. I’ve still got it! I have a digital version in a Dropbox somewhere.”

Palladio stays curious with seeking out new music, albeit alongside an unexpected pastime. “Late-night, I’m into model-making,” he reveals. “It’s all Dungeons and Dragonsy kinda stuff – it’s super meditative. I’ve got really good at all the nerdy airbrushing.” While engrossed in this world, he listens to new music playlists and takes note of songs he loves by new artists. “And obviously there’s so much great music in Nashville, so I get to see a lot of shows.”

Each of Palladio’s Nine Songs evokes a pivotal moment or a beloved person, and his teenage cover band, Liquid Sister, did covers of many of the mid-noughties bands that made it onto his list. “I think a lot of it came back to teenage Sam, so I had to really go back and think what the songs were that really got me where I am, as opposed to just, ‘Oh I love this song, it’s a banger.’”

His musical reflections have gone hand-in-hand with gearing up to announce his first solo album. “As I try to figure out why I’m doing this, what led me here, and why it’s taken me thirty-something years… It’s a good thing to think about,” he says.