Currently working towards her debut album ‘The Baby’, New York’s Samia is a top new talent for warm, fuzzy indie-pop – her recent single ‘Fit N Full’ feeling much like a warm blanket of loveliness to hunker down with while sheltering from the really-a-bit-much-rn world outside. Today, she shares her new double-single ‘Big Wheel / Stellate’, both intimate, heartfelt tasters of things to come. Introduce yourself to an act you’ll be hearing a lot more from over the coming months.
Hi Samia, how’s it going? How’s life in NYC at the moment?
Hey! Life’s good right now – I’ve been spending some time in Nashville after a couple of months of quarantine in New York. It was making me pretty sad to see the city so barren though I’m so glad everyone is staying inside. I’ve heard it’s getting less bleak there though!
It must be a great place to live, how does it influence you as a musician?
I moved to New York when I was 15 and started playing open mic nights and joining any band that would have me. The community that embraced me in the music scene there taught me everything I know about performing. I still feel the most inspired by the people I grew up with in New York.
Did you start going to gigs n stuff when you were quite young? What was your introduction to the live scene like?
Most of my first autonomous experiences were at my friends’ gigs growing up. We were all really into DIY bands when I was a teenager, and those shows felt like the most important events of our high school experience.
What prompted the decision to start making music of your own?
I knew I was interested in poetry and loved to sing; as soon as I found a way to combine those two passions, it was hard to do anything else.
Do you enjoy the performing side of it too?
Yes, that’s my favourite part!!
When did you start work on your debut album, has it been a long time coming?
We’ve been working on it for two years – I started writing with this LP in mind in 2018. There was a long process of trial and error in figuring out how to execute my ideas, but ultimately I knew I wanted to do it with my friends because I trusted them the most.
How did you approach curating a body of work like that? Did you know what you wanted it to be from the off, or was there a lot of evolution along the way?
I knew what I wanted to say with these songs, and I knew how I wanted it to feel, but it really took working with people I felt comfortable with and in a space where we could be honest for us to be able to support the story sonically.
‘The Baby’ feels like a very literal title, is it about this record being your baby or something else entirely?
I have a hard time saying goodnight, so whenever my friends leave a room or a party, I say, “who’s gonna watch the baby?” I think I’m the baby.
Do you enjoy the process of other people hearing and connecting with your songs? It’s quite an intimate thing.
I feel so lucky any time I get to meet or talk to someone on the basis of having written something that they connected with in any way. I really value that intimacy.
What’s next for you after the release?
I’m gonna get my driver’s license!!!!! I’ve been saying this for 7 years.
Samia’s debut album ‘The Baby’ is out 28th August.
