WHO IS HE?

A Nottingham teenager who has just written one of the feelgood singles of the summer.

WHY THE FUSS?

Sam's song, What You Look For, has already been made single of the week by Jo Whiley on Radio 1. His breezy, sun-kissed tunes will also be entertaining fans at this weekend's V Festival.

WHO DOES HE SOUND LIKE?

Paul Simon  -  if the American singer was 19 and hailed from the East Midlands.

WHAT'S THE STORY?

Sam was inspired to pick up a guitar by his dad, who played in local punk group the Drains but who also loved The Beatles. The youngster sang in a pop-punk band at school and even toyed with the nu-metal of Limp Bizkit before landing a residency as an acoustic performer in a local pub, The Old Volunteer. He began singing Nina Simone covers, but soon moved on to his own songs.

Finger pickin' good: Sam Beaton was inspired to learn guitar by his dad

AND THEN?

Augmenting his Nottingham gigs with small London shows, Beeton began to attract interest from the big record labels. He signed with RCA after turning up with a guitar to play at their London offices. 'I'm not an earnest, angst-ridden songwriter,' he says. 'And I'm not hung up about whether I'm cool or not. Pop music should be enjoyable and I'm certainly going to enjoy doing this.'

WHAT NEXT?

With the single out in two weeks, Sam is gearing up for his first album, No Definite Answer, out on September 29. A remarkably mature debut, it skips effortlessly between jaunty pop and jangling country-rock, with Sam even adding Cajun fiddle and banjo. The album, he says, will also give him a chance to tour. 'It's great fun making records, but I love playing live, too,' he adds. 'Playing the V Festival will be great, even if I'm stuck in the smallest tent.'