Feature and photos by Izel Villarba, find more of his work here.
What can I say about Samia that hasn’t already been said? Quite a lot actually. The New York singer songwriter is still feeling the effects of her blossoming music career and because she’s only done a handful of interviews, I believe there’s still much more to learn about her. Yet as a listener, it feels like I can uncover so much from her music. When I hear Samia’s lyrics it’s as if a close friend is venting to me. Her songs hold a particular sense of vulnerability and create an atmosphere for her stories to be told as honestly as possible. They’re unique to her experiences yet contain an emotional, human element that’s relatable for anyone who’s ever dealt with the struggle of discovering oneself or who is still going through that journey. The impressive repertoire of singles she’s released has managed to gain serious traction and now, after a long stint on tour, she’s found herself headlining a show at Rough Trade where she’ll sing in front of a sold out audience.
On behalf of Alt Citizen I was able to follow Samia and her band around for the night, learning quite a bit about a burgeoning star who has a lot more waiting for her on the horizon. You’ll find my recollection of the night below.
Just as the doors to the venue open, Samia comes to meet me in front of the stage, her face covered in glitter. She says she just needs to “go get a cake” first, then we can go take photos. I trail behind her and eventually get to the merch table where a fan is graciously waiting with a cake bearing a stark resemblance to Samia’s face. It would later resurface at the end of the night on stage, where she’d eat her own face off and throw the ooey, gooey, sugary flesh into a crowd that lovingly embraced it.
We part ways with the cake and meet her bandmates Noah (drummer, she calls him “Boba”) and Ned (bass) outside who, to my surprise and by sheer coincidence, were classmates of mine from NYU. Samia dropped out of the New School’s music program to pursue her musical career and it makes sense that she’s come into collaboration with other peers roughly her age who are products of New York’s higher education system. To say the least, she surrounds herself with good company.
Shortly after taking photos at Bushwick Inlet Park we run into Noah’s family who’re all there to see them play. Their appearance makes it feel like this night is one big homecoming.
We head back to the Rough Trade green room where Samia becomes very quiet. She tells me she usually uses pre-show time to get really focused, which to her is having the mentality of going “straight for the throat”. By this she means showing no compromise in the energy she wants to emit and the performance she wants to give. I see folded papers and envelopes next to her which she tells me are fan letters. The serious expression on her face reflects how humbled she feels and the importance her fans hold in her life. These are the people Samia refuses to disappoint and the reason why she can never compromise.
Samia and her best friend/ photographer/ ex babysitter, Ruby, who she moved to New York with. Ruby made me promise this photo would be featured, so here you go Ruby.
When asked about her acting career she reveals that both her parents are in the entertainment industry and acting is something that’s always come naturally, but she feels that there’s more rawness and vulnerability in performing music on stage than there is performing for theater or on film. When she’s acting it’s easy to follow someone else’s scripts and directions, but when she’s playing music for a crowd it’s her own words and feelings that are being translated. There’s no wall to hide behind. It’s simultaneously thrilling and nerve wracking but she’s hopeful the crowd will get her message. I point to the fan letters and reassure her they definitely have. Samia tells me she wants to reach as many people as possible and take her music as far as it can go.
Noah “Boba” Rauchwerk, drummer
The time has finally come for Samia and her band to finish off the night after two killer performances by Squirrel Flower and Indigo De Souza. They walk on to the stage with glass flutes and a bottle of champagne because this is homecoming and they’re ready to celebrate. Her live set is just as heartwarming and soul soothing as any of her recordings but the performative aspects make it an experience not to be missed. The years of acting come out physically as she improvises vogue moves on the floor and sings with swagger while sitting on Noah’s bass drum. She carries herself with complete confidence and the crowd is loving every minute of it. I look around and realize that everyone within the first ten feet of the stage is singing along and clinging to every word that comes out of Samia’s mouth. One girl is bawling profusely.
“It’s crazy to me that people know the words to a song I wrote in my dorm room.”
What also stands out is her love for tongue-in-cheek humor. On stage she references my conversation with her: “I was doing an interview earlier and was asked what SXSW was like. I said ‘Austin is cool, the food is good, I like Texas.’ Anyways here’s a song about my dead grandmother.” Prefacing another song she says “I wrote this while I was period crying”. The characteristic of Samia’s that I like the most is that she’s able to embrace herself in all her silliness. She can sing and talk about serious personal subjects without taking herself too seriously. It’s the sort of personality that makes her incredibly comforting to be around and even more enjoyable to listen to her because it feels so good to embrace her voice in the same way she does. Seeing her backstage with her bandmates and friends, I got to see the endless love she has for everyone that supports her and vice versa. Samia’s music has already taken her quite far and if this night is any indication of what’s to come, then it seems like any path she decides to go down will be a piece of cake.
You can catch Samia on tour now. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
