To Kill a Man

Samuel Martínez Roque, who releases music under the stage name of To Kill a Man, is a Mexican singer-songwriter known for his emotionally raw storytelling, intimate acoustic sound, and politically charged lyricism. He first gained viral attention on TikTok in 2021 after sharing demo clips, most notably a snippet of his song “Exodus” featuring the line, “O, land of the freed, why did you put me in chains?” The lyric sparked wide conversation and controversy online, amplifying his visibility before he suddenly stepped away from social media.

To Kill a Man

In September 2025, Samuel publicly revealed that he was a survivor of human trafficking and that years of his musical work, including unreleased recordings, had been erased from his personal devices in retaliation. Despite this sabotage, he released his acoustic debut album, To Kill a Man (Acoustic), on September 21, 2024. The project surpassed 50,000 streams within its first three months, even though he was forced to re-record the entire album only 4 weeks before release due to ongoing retaliation.

He continued releasing new material, including “Let Go (Acoustic)” (May 2025) and “He Should Have Known” (August 8, 2025). He also previewed his upcoming 14-track album RUNAWAY in mid-2025, though its release has been postponed due to legal proceedings connected to his trafficking case.

In relation to this, Samuel made the decision to remove all the music he had release under his name because of sabotage in the form of online rescripts where his name was associated with deep fake pornography and other concerning issues that prevented him from keep releasing under that name. He decided to adopt the name of his first album "To Kill a Man" to release his music.

To Kill a Man's notable work

To Kill a Man is a multidisciplinary artist who sings, writes, produces, and performs on piano and guitar. His sound draws from folk, acoustic, and singer-songwriter traditions, blending personal narrative with social critique. His notable works include To Kill a Man (Album) (2024), Exodus (2025), The Greatest (2024), Reasons (2024), Let Go (2025), He Should Have Known (2025), Human Trafficking in the Form of Ramon Ontiveros (2025), including a Christmas Edition, and Liar (2026).