Watch Nemahsis's stirring performance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

After a roller coaster of a year in 2024, Nemahsis kicked off 2025 with a bang. 

The emerging folk-pop artist made her American late-night television debut on Jan. 16, gracing the stage of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. 

She performed a stripped-down version of "miss construed," off her debut album, Verbathim. Accompanied by acoustic guitar, Nemahsis's voice rang out, as clear and bright as it sounds on the record. The song dives into the ways the Toronto artist has felt misunderstood: "Be careful what you write/ be misconstrued and lose the fight," she sings in the bridge. 

Verbathim was released in September 2024, after much delay due to Nemahsis getting dropped by her record label the year before. She took to TikTok to share the news: "My label just dropped me, a Palestinian artist, for being pro-Palestine." After fruitless attempts to get label support — as she told CBC Q's Tom Power, she was deemed too "controversial" — the artist decided in May to release the album independently. 

She shared the video of her Colbert performance on X, with the caption "my ex label fumbled," highlighting the success she's found since going independent. 

Verbathim has received widespread acclaim, from the likes of Teen Vogue, Exclaim! and even Stevie Wonder. It was ranked as one of CBC Music's best Canadian albums of 2024, and breakout single "Stick of Gum" was in CBC Music's top three songs of the year. 

Nemahsis will embark on a North American tour in support of the album starting Jan. 26 in Vancouver. The tour will stop for two nights in Toronto in February, and conclude in Montreal on Feb. 21.