Mohawk Alt-Pop Artist/Producer Semiah Drops ‘Charlie’s Angels’-Esque “Withdrawals” Music Video with a Warrior Punk Anime Edge
Meet Semiah, a dynamic artist whose blend of playful charisma and spiritual depth captivates audiences. With 20 years of stage experience, she effortlessly transitions between intimate performances and larger theatrical shows. Her latest single, “Withdrawals,” is an electro-pop-punk anthem co-produced with Teleh0rn, featuring Haudenosaunee vocal techniques and metallic elements. The accompanying music video, which Semiah produced, directed, choreographed, and styled, brings a warrior-punk aesthetic to life. Semiah plans to expand this creative vision into a feature film, marking the next exciting chapter in her musical journey.
“Withdrawals” is a unique fusion of sounds and storytelling. What was the creative process behind the song?
I never really intended to release this song at first because it was so personal. But I was going through a pretty hard breakup at the time and it was almost like a diary entry for myself to how I was feeling. Everything came together so quickly. It started with the main melody which although upbeat is also quite melancholy which eventually got changed into a chopped up arpeggiated. I then started pouring what I was feeling at the time on top. I tend to produce and songwrite at the same time so the music and lyrics always match each other.
The concept of the song started from feeling like I was cast as a fool in a play that I didn’t realize I was in or that I had ever auditioned for. This captured my feelings of betrayal while also acknowledging my own shortfalls in playing into delusions of that relationship that I should have challenged much sooner. There were signs from the beginning that I should have listened to but I intentionally remained oblivious because I felt leaving would be worse than staying. In this way I played the character of the fool described in the lyrics, “I played the damn fool”. In this way I realized that I was also partly to blame in how everything played out and I could choose to end it which is represented in the lyrics, “I thought of blaming you, but my part in this play’s done”
The video for “Withdrawals” is rich with cinematic elements, from Katana sword fights to anime-inspired aesthetics. What was your vision for this project?
The vision of this music video started out as a joke between my friends thinking of who we would be if we ever ended up becoming a spy group. A lot of my music and art include hints of inside jokes between my friends. I took inspiration from Charlie’s Angels, Kill Bill, and the Power Puff girls in my vision. In high school, I was a pretty big cosplay nerd, and me and my friends would create elaborate cosplays to go to Anime Conventions. I hadn’t done anything like that in a long time and I missed doing that so that’s what inspired me to make the elaborate outfits. Also being an Indigenous artist, I hadn’t ever seen any Indigenous spy girl group and I wanted to create something that pushed the boundaries of Indigenous art with this project. Overall, I wanted to create something that was cute yet fierce which is something that I think really encapsulates who I am as a person. Of course, I was also inspired by Pinterest, there was one in particular of girls wearing ‘fur-kinis’ in the snow and I wanted to emulate something like that in my video. But overall, I wanted to test the waters of how interested people would be in an Indigenous spy girl group which would set the groundwork for a feature film story. I am currently working on a screenplay for a longer film project.
How did collaborating with Teleh0rn shape the production of “Withdrawals”?
Teleh0rn is the kindest and most talented human! The original production I created sounds so unclear compared to the final mixed version, which is major hats off to him. He was so dedicated to the art and we could have fun making something really beautiful together as colleagues, artists, and friends. We were able to relate to each other because he actually started out as an actor and he didn’t really have any ‘official’ music training kind of like myself since I haven’t really gone to extensive school training for producing. However, since he has a background in acting he was able to understand the cinematic shifts of the song and how important that was to the storytelling. I also feel like I am a very intuitive producer and songwriter so I don’t necessarily see my music in the form of chords or ‘harmony’ which was really nice to collaborate with him as he has a similar process, or could at least understand where I was coming from.
He also brought an invaluable electronic presence to the track and contributed a lot to the production of the bridge. He spent a lot of time in Berlin and that’s the exact kind of influence I was looking for in ‘Withdrawals’.
You produced, directed, and styled the video for “Withdrawals.” How did you balance these roles, and what were the biggest challenges?
This was the biggest project I have ever undertaken. Maybe if I was a better planner, I should have applied for funding, however, I am not sure why I felt so moved to finish a project like this, but maybe it was because I thought the idea was good and it was for a song that was so personal for me. In my day job, I was a supervisor for a health program, and although not technically related to music, it gave me insight into a lot of project and team management techniques that were translatable to this project. I had to thoroughly plan every phase. It started out as a plotline and shot list with exact locations which then turned into a logistical shot schedule. In any project I undertake I feel I bring my full self so it is a delicate dance between compartmentalization of roles but still staying true to myself and my full vision. This project definitely went over budget by a bit because some funding fell through, however, I had to have a talk with myself that as an artist I would like to at least see one project of mine closest to my true vision. If not now when I don’t have a family to support and I’m young, when else would I be able to take a risk like this? It was hard during the shoot because I wish I could see what the shots looked like because I had very specific ideas of what that would look like in my head. However, I was very familiar with the videographer, Shane Powless, and I had multiple meetings with him to talk about the exact shots that I wanted. Because of that, he captured exactly what I wanted on the day. If it was a bigger budget film there would have been a way to see the shots on a smaller screen however this was an indie project so that wasn’t an option, however during the next project hopefully that will be an option. I also had my Mom, Santee Smith, there to be the shot director and she was very familiar with the shots that I was looking for. She also has an amazing artistic eye so I was able to trust everyone on the team that brought this project together. I think the people that I chose to be a part of the project in front of the camera and behind is the reason the final product turned out as well as it did. The biggest challenge of this project I would say was combatting the elements. I didn’t realize that the cold would actually affect the video cameras. One of the cameras actually stopped responding which compromised some of the shots and then that was the reason so much post-production planning needed to happen. It was a huge learning curve on how to execute a video project in extreme climates.
You’ve spent 20 of your 25 years performing on stage. How did this early start shape your approach to music and live performance?
I grew up seeing my mom be an artistic entrepreneur and how she was able to articulate her artistic vision in all aspects. I feel that seeing her do that was the best education I could have ever gotten. I knew how to direct a team in a respectful way and maintain a fun and light-hearted atmosphere on set. I grew up doing photography, videography, and graphic design for some of my Mom’s projects and I saw the unglamorous aspects of making a beautiful artistic vision come to life and how to roll with unexpected obstacles. I feel my upbringing taught me unrelentless tenacity and versatility in the artistic process which is a very unique way to grow up. I have come into this industry knowing everything that comes with it, which not many people have the privilege of knowing.
What’s next for you?
I have a new three-song EP coming up. These songs are hard-driving electronic bangers with a punk-rock edge. Adding the punk fierceness is something new to me and I am excited to explore that side of my artistry. I will be filming a music video in Toronto in the winter that is loosely based on the cult classic, The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I take inspiration from pop-classic narratives and the often unglamorous and vulnerable female life journey that goes largely undocumented in pop media. The next songs will capture what it feels like to be a woman in love in the 20s of the twenty-first century. It will be some of my most vulnerable songs yet. I am also working on the screenplay that will be the continuation of this music video….