Savannah Pope unveils “Panopticon,” a haunting new single and video that confront body image, trauma, and self-reclamation through artful theatricality.
Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, and visual artist Savannah Pope enters a surreal world of beauty, trauma, and self-reclamation with her new single and music video, “Panopticon.” The release explores how certain people can continue to shape our sense of self long after a formative experience ends.
Pope draws from her personal experiences with body image and sexual trauma to create the track. She explores the unsettling sensation of feeling watched and judged even when the person responsible is no longer present. As a result, “Panopticon” turns that lingering psychological pressure into an intimate and theatrical piece of music.
Musically, Pope combines sweeping orchestration with baroque drama and cabaret intimacy. She takes inspiration from movie scores and opera while embracing the theatrical energy of artists such as Florence + the Machine and The Last Dinner Party. The arrangement creates a grand backdrop for lyrics that remain deeply personal and exposed.
A Visual World of Fantasy and Brutality
The accompanying music video expands the song’s themes through an elaborate visual language. Pope draws from Rococo paintings, chiaroscuro lighting, fashion editorials, and dressing-room mirrors. She also introduces what she playfully describes as “Rococo drag.”
One striking sequence uses a measuring tape to transform the familiar scrutiny of a dressing room into something surreal. The scene examines how society observes, measures, and constructs ideas about the body. Moreover, the video balances its darker themes with humor. It feels simultaneously lavish, severe, strange, and playful.
“Panopticon” will appear on Pope’s forthcoming EP. The project moves between operatic rock, baroque pop, and stripped-down cabaret, creating what Pope describes as a musical fever dream. Across the collection, she explores trauma, desire, identity, and self-reclamation.
Pope has already built a reputation for combining music with immersive visual storytelling. She recently supported Andy Bell of Erasure across North America. She also performed three sold-out shows at Los Angeles’ Fonda Theatre and sold nearly 100 tickets for her New York headline debut at Joe’s Pub.
In addition, Pope’s work has earned coverage from LADYGUNN, Earmilk, We Found New Music, Guitar Girl Magazine, Music Connection, and Luna Collective. Her visual content has surpassed two million views, further establishing her as an artist who blends cinematic pop, glam, art rock, cabaret, and performance art.
With “Panopticon,” Pope turns painful memories into an ambitious audiovisual experience. The result is a dramatic portrait of what happens when the ghosts of the past continue to shape how we see ourselves.
Listen to and stream Savannah Pope’s “Panopticon” now, and step into its haunting world of trauma, beauty, and self-reclamation.
Press Release
