Under the blue glow of stage lights - it personally felt more like the chill of an early Midwestern morning rather than the heat of downtown Phoenix. Indie-pop artist Samia performed an unforgettable set at Crescent Ballroom to a crowd that couldn’t have been more present. Cheers proved how grateful they were for the artists’ music. The room pulsed with eagerness from fans to scream every lyric back to her.

Samia, born Samia Finnerty, has steadily carved out her place in the indie scene with an emotionally raw catalog. Deemed playful and poetic. Music filled with vulnerable lyrics, conversational tone, and clever turns of phrase. She’s an artist whose songs feel like late-night voice notes sent from a friend you used to know everything about—and maybe still do.

The stage looked like a makeshift campsite. Lamps, bare and warm-lit, stood like little fires. Casting glows instead of flames. A camping chair sat empty beside a cooler tagged with "Samia" and a hand-drawn mosquito. With the lights tinged blue and quiet fog drifting across the floor, it felt like morning at a lake. I could almost feel wet grass, cold coffee, and breath in the air. That imagery turned out to be the perfect frame for a set full of emotional awakenings and slow-burning intensity.

Samia opened with "Triptych." A cinematic intro that set the emotional tone immediately. The room fell into a hush. The kind that only comes when people are completely locked in. "Dare" came early in the set. A highlight for its stripped-down delivery. Seated at the piano, Samia’s voice trembled at moments. Not seemingly from nerves but from sincerity. The song's quiet grief ("I dare you to come back") hit like a secret you weren’t supposed to hear out loud. A rare silence sweeping the room until the final note faded.

The energy shifted hard and fast with songs like "Bovine Excision" and "Proof", where the crowd was more than ready to join in. For "Proof," the volume from the audience nearly overpowered Samia herself. She didn’t seem to mind. At one point, she simply stepped back, letting the room take over. Smile painted lips showed a deep appreciation for her fans, and the energy they fed back. It was the sound of catharsis. Samia danced freely during several tracks. Weaving around her bandmates. Often laughing or flashing a knowing grin. That joy was contagious. There’s something beautifully unguarded about the way Samia performs.

A personal standout was "Big Wheel." A song that captures the millennial-Gen Z blend of ironic detachment and genuine longing. Lines like “I got some family in Boston / You don’t think I’m funny anymore” land like texts you shouldn’t have sent but did anyway. Live, the track felt like an anthem for everyone who's ever wanted to mean more to someone who doesn’t notice them slipping away. Samia’s delivery was both playful and aching. Later in the set, "Craziest Person" reminded everyone just how sharp her writing is. She can be devastating in a single line. Although never without a glint of humor and self-awareness.

The three-song encore began with "Pool." A hushed and haunting track that soaked the room in melancholy. By the time she got to "Is There Something in the Movies?" It was noticeably a fan-favorite ballad. A song about illusion and disillusion. She closed with "Honey." The title track from her 2023 album. It was a fitting end. All sticky-sweet, nostalgic, and bittersweet.
There’s a particular kind of magic that happens when an artist like Samia performs. Her songs are intimate by nature. Feeling like diary entries dressed up in poetry. At the piano in total stillness. Bouncing around joyfully with her bandmates. If you were there you were lucky to share the experience warmly.