Every person I have shown a Samia song to, whether it’s my boss, my best friend, or someone I’m dating, the question is almost always the same: How is this girl not famous already? Born in Los Angeles to actor parents, Samia moved to New York City when she was 15 and began playing music live at open mics. With strong indie and singer-songwriter influences, Samia holds a special place for her writing in her songs, saying that “there is an exact, perfect word for every sentiment.” And it’s noticeable in her work, whether it’s her acclaimed debut album, The Baby; my personal favorite, Honey; or her latest work, Bloodless, which she’s touring this year.
I was also taking photos for her September 19 show at the Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles, in addition to reviewing it, so I waited in front of the stage for her to come out. In preparation, I’d listened to a few of her songs on the train on the way to the venue — specifically, the first few of the night, since I’d be taking photos during those and wanted to be able to feel some feeling of familiarity while I did so. “Triptych,” “Dare,” and “Fair Game,” were the songs, and I had only listened to Honey up until this point (it was the only album that I, after listening once through, immediately bought on vinyl). I was immediately lost in Samia’s powerful yet soft vocals, that feel as if she’s voicing the thoughts you’re afraid to think. The show was the exact same way, seeing Samia’s vocals somehow sound even more resonant than on the record. “You can go outside on a hot night and clap / But you won’t get your blood back.”
All that was on the stage were her band, a cooler that had “Samia’s Cooler” written on it, and a camping chair. She utilized the free space by dancing, jumping, and at one point laying on the ground and stomping. It felt the way her songs did: tastefully chosen (like her instrumentals) with the main goal of supporting the most important event, which, in both instances, is her. She played the entirety of Bloodless, with highlights “Craziest Person,” “Lizard,” and “North Poles.” During “Lizard,” a ton of fans screamed along at the line, “It’s a beautiful party, and it’s not mine to ruin / Don’t do it / Don’t do it.” It’s enough of a staple lyric that you can get it on one of her hats. “North Poles” contains one of my favorite lines ever: “And to find each other like north poles of magnets / When you see yourself in someone, how can you look at them?” Which I believe, strung together, encapsulates her belief of there being a perfect word for every sentiment.
Of course, my favorite songs of the night were “Kill Her Freak Out,” and “Honey,” her closing track. For the former, the lights went low, and Samia stood completely still at the mic. It was striking. She seemed completely in the song, hilariously except for the lines “I hope you marry the girl from your hometown / And I’ll fucking kill her / And I’ll fucking freak out,” where she let out a grin and laughed a bit at herself. It must be an unavoidable side effect of baring yourself privately in songs, to then release them to the public and sing them.
Toward the end of the evening, she also played “Pool,” from her first record, which has seen a resurgence online from her NPR Tiny Desk Concert. I was surprised and happy to see it reposted on SZA’s story a few weeks ago, and a ton of people have been covering it on TikTok with millions of views to date. The covers usually are of the end, when, in the song, all of Samia’s feelings come out at once: “How long, how long / Do I have left with my dog ’til I start forgetting shit? … ’til we’re rich and then we’re not, and then we’re rich? / How much longer ’til I’m taller? / How much longer ’til it’s midnight? / How much longer ’til the mornin’, are my legs gonna last? / Is it too much to ask?” For the performance, she brought out a violinist for just the one song, and the lights turned dark blue. As the band crescendoed into that last verse, the disco ball at the ceiling of the venue started spinning reflections all over the stage.
It was almost laughably beautiful, but actually devastating. Which is, and I try to say this as undramatically as possibly, probably the best way I could sum up the show.
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