On the night of September 27th, Samia made a profound appearance at the Gothic Theater in Englewood, Colo. Samia Najimy Finnerty, better known as “Samia” is a 28-year-old alternative indie singer known for her nuanced songs about grappling with inner conflict and the experience of femininity and self. Renny Conti was the opener for the sold-out show, marking one of Samia’s stops on her Bloodless tour.  

Ever since her NPR Tiny Desk performance in 2023, fans online have been raving about Samia Finnerty’s dreamy vocals and profound honesty in her lyrics. Her idea for the Bloodless theme of her tour was amplified by her opening song, “Bovine Excision.” The song is about the intriguing phenomenon where cattle are often found dead and lacking internal blood.

In a recent interview with NPR, Samia shared her admiration for the metaphorical aspect of it and said, “The thing that makes bovine excision so exciting is, where is the blood?” The metaphorical aspect that Samia claims is the most meaningful to her musical material is that the grotesque image of “bovine excision” leaves room for interpretation, since there is no declared reasoning. The ambiguity within leaves Samia’s lyricism and overall impact astoundingly ambiguous, and a way for her to exist as “anything,” not “reduced to [her] humanness,”. 

Other hit songs, such as “Honey,” “Pool,” “Big Wheel” and “Is There Something in the Movies?” were backed up by powerful lighting and trance-like vocals from Samia and instrumentals from members Sam Rosenstone, Jake Luppen and Nathan Stocker. Samia has a varied lineup of musicians for touring and recording, based on the close-knit communities she has been a part of throughout her musical career.  

“Samia gave an amazing performance that fit the vibe of the gothic theater perfectly. She was super lively and captivated the audience no matter the style of the song, slow or upbeat. She was ethereal to watch,” said Jaime Drake, second-year student at  the University of Denver. 

As the performance came to an end and audience members stepped out of the Gothic Theater, there was still a question that invited reflection. The Bloodless tour’s theme of “where is the blood?” had become more about the experience of living uncertainty, rather than the mystery of a cow’s disappearing blood. 

Samia’s concert was memorable for opening space to reflect on a mystery we tend to overlook: what it means to live with ambiguity.