I love being uncomfortable. Uncomfortable movies. Uncomfortable books. Uncomfortable art. Uncomfortable conversations. I’ve become anxiously attached to the little wasps in my chest who buzz too loudly and flap around in awkward situations. But finding comfort in the uncomfortable comes at a cost: ugly doesn’t scare you anymore. You even start to seek it out. This is where Samia comes in. Samia steals all that discomfort, all that ugly, right out from your chest. As a songwriter she is an alchemist, spinning your insecurities into a quilt. The kind of quilt your grandmother wraps around you while you read comics at her house as your parents are downtown signing divorce papers. You know the kind.
On the warm night of September 19, 2025 night in Hollywood, Samia steps coyly onto the stage of the Fonda Theatre. The crowd roars relentlessly as she seems taken aback – it’s clear how deeply she is needed tonight, right here in this moment.
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She starts the set with “Triptych,” a song from her debut 2020 album, “The Baby,” with lyrics so abruptly intimate that listening would feel like a violation if it weren’t for her unfettered stage presence inviting you in to bear witness to her secrets. She’s dancing, spinning, submitting herself except it’s actually you who’s succumbed.
The centenarian LA theatre fades to black and a spotlight appears on Samia. She sits at the piano and plays the beginning chords of “Dare” from her freshly released LP Bloodless. A fitting title for an album that sucks you dry, leaving you wilted and somehow better for it. Lighter. Softer. In the darkness it’s quickly become obvious that the line between you and Samia has blurred. Her fingers pulse across the keys as she twists her red mouth into a confessional deeply rooted in connection and radical acceptance. The theater dims again.
Deep hues of emerald green fill the room as Samia stands centerstage. She continues the Bloodless portion of her set, including her single “Bovine Excision,” a song that makes you realize that while you might not have ever actually picked leeches off your underwear, you’ve always worried about it.
Samia continues to pierce the air with “Proof,” “Carousel” and “Hole in a Frame” also all from Bloodless, each song weaving together suspiciously and oftentimes painfully relatable experiences, down to punching you with the dizzying reminder that “a little death goes a long way.” Samia sways in and out of falsetto as she maintains her control over us just by being honest.
Switching back to The Baby her short jagged black skit bounces as she kicks and slinks across the stage while every person in the audience loses themselves to the absolute bop that is “Big Wheel.”
Darkness again. The spotlight bathes Samia in a red glow. She closes her eyes as ethereal, vibrating chords fill the building. “I hope you marry the girl from your hometown…” she sings sweetly. “…And I’ll fucking kill her and I’ll fucking freak out” seemingly all of LA croons back at her, just as sweetly. Suddenly I’ve never felt more at ease in a room full of strangers.
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The leeches continue to feed off us as Samia cuts deeper into her overwhelmingly Bloodless set and there’s a flash of panic in my bones as I realize we can’t live in the Fonda forever.
With a cheeky lie of a last song, Samia sprints off the stage. The lights go down but only for a moment before she steps back onto the stage for a barebones rendition of “Pool.” A disco ball spins above our heads, swallowing us in an enchanting display of blue diamonds. She pours out the gut-wrenching line, “how long do I have left with my dog before I start forgetting shit?” and I feel like I’m drowning in the blood that was supposed to be gone by now. Just when you begin to breathe again, she delivers another blow with the beautiful yet horribly personal story of early loss in “Is There Something in the Movies?” and every heart in the historic theatre collectively shatters.
Because the awful truth is Samia isn’t actually made of magic. She is not an alchemist or a leech. She can’t transform your insecurities or save you from your ugliest thoughts…instead, she is a mirror reflecting all your vulnerable bits with an ease that makes you feel safe just by being understood. As uncomfortable as the imagery in her songwriting might be, Samia’s concerts are essential proof of the deep dichotomy which exists in music. There is warmth in her presence. There is acceptance. There is unwavering love, even in the face of all the ugly.
Before saying goodnight, Samia doses us with “Honey,” a song we can lick our sticky wounds to.
You will ruin your makeup at a Samia show. You will leave the venue with your guard not just down but dissolved. You will feel like maybe you have never been alone in your discomfort after all. And maybe the wasps in your chest will finally shut the fuck up.
Words and Photos by Michelle Evans
