Tkaronto-Based Next Gen Mohawk Artist Semiah Takes Inspiration from Classic Female Spy Films for “Withdrawals” Music Video

As a deluge of artists seek to be the next digital flash in the pan, Semiah is a breath of fresh mountain air. She’s as at home on stage – where she’s spent 20 of her 25 years – as she is chopping firewood or on an urban dancefloor in bejeweled glam. Regularly showered with encores and standing ovations for her live performances, Semiah moves effortlessly from intimate solo club shows to large soft seater theatres accompanied by dancers and musicians. Like a flirty dervish story-teller who can tear your heart out with side eye giggle, she has the uncanny ability to etch herself into the souls of swooning concert goers. But don’t let the playful cowgrrl edge fool you – she has more spiritual depth than most twice her age.

Latest single, “Withdrawals,” is an electro pop punk love-gone-wrong song co-produced with Montreal collaborator Teleh0rn. Production features include traditional Haudenosaunee vocal techniques and innovative metallic elements that align with the accompanying video’s Katana sword fight choreography. Glittering pink characters step out of the snowy Alberta mountains like an indigenous Charlie’s Angels with a warrior punk anime edge. Semiah produced, directed, choreographed, edited and created the wardrobe for the video which serves as a small snapshot of a larger storyline that she hopes to make a feature film. Montana Summers stars as the Villain with Katie Couchie as the Purple Spy.

Without spoiling the plot line of the larger movie, I am the lead spy in a femme fatale trio who is hunting down a super villain into the wilderness of the snowy mountains. The Villain is reminiscent of my breakup story in the song but told in a new and entertaining way. I wanted to write a story that has the same moral lesson but is more Hollywood, and also not something so personal to me as I still feel uncomfortable sharing really personal things about my life through my art. Basically, there is some chemistry behind the Villain and myself. Throughout the music video, I have many chances to kill the Villain, but I choose not to since there are still some feelings left. This is really shown in the last scene of the music video where the show ends on a cliffhanger of who kills who, since we are caught in a stand still. The audience is left not knowing whether we make up, we both die, or maybe someone wins? – Semiah