Podcast Summary: All Of It with Alison Stewart
Guest: Samia
Episode Title: Samia's 'Bloodless'
Date: November 27, 2025
Podcast: All Of It (WNYC)
Overview
In this episode, host Alison Stewart welcomes singer-songwriter Samia back to "All Of It" to discuss her third album, Bloodless. The conversation explores the evolution of Samia’s music and artistry over the last five years, her experiences in different cities, the motifs and metaphors behind the new album, and how vulnerability, collaboration, and self-acceptance have shaped her creative journey. The episode is interspersed with live performances of new tracks from Bloodless, and highlights Samia's thoughtful engagement with themes of absence, identity, femininity, and creative process.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. Live Performance: "Bovine Excision"
- [01:05] The episode opens with a live, expressive rendition of "Bovine Excision", setting the emotional tone of the discussion.
2. Artistic Evolution Over Five Years
- What’s Changed:
- Samia reflects on her musical journey since her debut, emphasizing experimentation and a return to her roots in poetry and lyricism.
- Quote:
"I've had a lot of time to experiment with different styles and different approaches. And honestly I've sort of circled back to the thing I started with... a real love of poetry and words."
— Samia [04:14]
- Geographical Influence:
- Her moves from Nashville to LA to Minneapolis have shaped her sound and provided new artistic communities.
- Quote:
"I'm a real sponge. I love being a part of an inspiring community... Minneapolis has been really fun for that reason."
— Samia [05:02]
3. Thematic Motif: Blood and Absence
- Bovine Excision’s Origin:
- Inspired by a date conversation about cow mutilations, the song (and album title) meditate on what is missing rather than what is present.
- Quote:
"So much of this album is about the power of what's not there and how big absence can be... With Bovine excision, there's no blood at the scene. The cows are completely drained of blood. And so it makes you really think about the blood. Where's the blood? Why isn't it there? So it felt like an apt metaphor."
— Samia [05:38]
- The Blood Motif:
- The recurring mention of blood emerged subconsciously and became central to the record’s identity.
- Quote:
"Almost every song, I say blood, and I didn't do that on purpose... By the end of the writing process, I was like, this absolutely has to... the title has to include Blood in some way."
— Samia [06:39]
4. From Muse to Absence and Identity
- Origins of Album Concepts:
- "Bloodless" grew out of meditations on the concept of the muse as someone filled with unknowns, shifting to how absence allows for projection and grander identity.
- Quote:
"A lot of the time, a muse is someone who's, like, mostly unknown, with a lot of gaps to be filled. And that sort of led to this absence thing..."
— Samia [06:58]
- Personal Reflection:
- Samia discusses how withholding aspects of herself in relationships was a strategy for connection that paradoxically hindered it.
- Quote:
"The less you give of yourself, the more you can be to someone. And you're not really tied to one identity... But I just wanted to, like, look at that in my relationships."
— Samia [07:36]
5. Femininity, Masculinity, and Self-Construction
- Quotes on Gender and Identity:
- Samia describes having constructed a personality for male approval, only to realize it was based on imagined expectations, leading to a journey of self-acceptance.
- Quote:
"I built a personality around criteria that I imagined men would want... And when I realized that, I was like, oh, I've got to do a lot of working backwards to get to some self that might exist in a vacuum... it was just about accepting that."
— Samia [08:29]
6. Reflection on Early Work and Growth
- Past Lyrics and Gender:
- Reflecting on her lyric “Someone tell the boys they’re not important anymore,” Samia talks about how much of her early frustration was projection.
- Quote:
"A lot of it was stuff that I made up that wasn't really actually coming from... any particular person or their real expectations of me..."
— Samia [09:26]
7. Live Performance: “Hole in a Frame” and Context
- [10:24]
- Samia performs "Hole in a Frame," inspired by a literal void: a hole Sid Vicious punched at Cain's Ballroom, engaging again with the idea of absence as presence.
8. Band Introductions and Collaboration
- Band Members:
- Sam Rosenstone (piano), Daryl Ron (acoustic guitar), Boone "the Riverman" Wallace (guitar), Ned French (bass), Noah "Route Quirk Wormy" (drums).
- Band camaraderie and long-standing relationships are central.
- Quote:
"It's like, the most valuable thing, being on the road and doing this pretty vulnerable thing. Getting up and singing my feelings at strangers... I'm so lucky to do this with people I know and trust, and they're just also really funny and cool."
— Samia [15:09]
9. Working with Trusted Producers
- Jake Lupin and Caleb Wright:
- Samia highlights emotional safety and taste as reasons she’s continued collaborating with her producers.
- Quote:
"It takes a lot for me to crack myself open... in front of people that I don't really trust and know and respect. So, yeah, it just— I trust their taste. I know they know me..."
— Samia [16:02]
- Producers as Mirrors:
- They help her balance experimental tendencies with accessibility.
- Memorable line:
"Sometimes I get a little Rumpelstiltskinny in my lyric writing where I sort of sound like a bridge troll. It's like riddles. And they'll be like, maybe rein it in and use some English words that people understand. So that's nice."
— Samia [16:36]
10. Notable Moment: Pushing for Pop
- Producer Feedback:
- On the song "Sacred," her producers encouraged embracing a pop sensibility, which brought an important lightness to the record.
- Quote:
"They were like, this is a pop song, and you don't have to be scared of a pop song with a hook... And I'm glad we did, because it's fun."
— Samia [17:27]
11. Sonic Textures and Easter Eggs
- Radio Dial Effects:
- Radio static and dial snippets were used to invoke a "cabin on a swamp" soundscape, adding atmosphere to the album.
- Quote:
"We were thinking about a cabin on a swamp where you could faintly hear, like, a broken radio playing... those little radio snippets... help set the scene."
— Samia [18:19]
- Production Detail:
- The clarinet, added last-minute to "Pants" by producer Caleb, is highlighted as a favorite Easter egg.
- Quote:
"It wasn't there until, like, days before we submitted the record… and I didn't even know he could play the clarinet until I heard he did a beautiful job."
— Samia [19:13]
12. Navigating Second Album Pressure
- On Honey:
- Samia discusses the increased expectations and challenges of the sophomore record.
- Quote:
"Famously, second albums are just tough... there are no expectations [with the debut]. And then suddenly... people want something from you, and if you can't quite deliver that, they're gonna be disappointed."
— Samia [19:49]
13. Live Performance: "Dare"
- [20:20]
- The episode features another emotional live performance, showcasing the vulnerability and poetic clarity that define Samia’s artistry.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On Absence as Creative Space:
"So much of this album is about the power of what's not there and how big absence can be." — Samia [05:38] -
On Self-Construction:
"I built a personality around criteria that I imagined men would want... I found for myself... it was just about accepting that." — Samia [08:29] -
On Collaboration:
"It means everything. It's like, the most valuable thing, being on the road and doing this pretty vulnerable thing." — Samia [15:09] -
On Creative Restraint:
"Sometimes I get a little Rumpelstiltskinny in my lyric writing... they'll be like, maybe rein it in and use some English words." — Samia [16:36] -
On Producers' Input:
"They were like, this is a pop song, and you don't have to be scared of a pop song with a hook." — Samia [17:27]
Important Segment Timestamps
- Live "Bovine Excision" – [01:05]
- Artistic Evolution/Roots – [04:14]
- Bloodless Motif Explanation – [05:38]
- Identity, Muse, and Absence – [06:53]
- Gender and Self-Acceptance – [08:29]
- Live "Hole in a Frame" – [10:24]
- Band Introductions – [13:49]
- Working With Producers – [15:45]
- Easter Eggs/Clarinet on Pants – [19:02]
- Second Album Pressures – [19:49]
- Live "Dare" – [20:20]
Tone and Style
The conversation is candid, reflective, and often playful, with Samia’s poetic sensibilities shining both in her music and her responses. The rapport between host and guest allows for both vulnerability and humor, as when Samia jokes about her bandmates or the odd origins of some songs.
For listeners, this episode provides a deep dive into the making of Bloodless, Samia’s creative philosophy, and the personal growth fueling her recent work—illuminated by live performances and rich storytelling.