The particular dialect or language that a person chooses to use on any occasion is called a code 1583 Copyright © 2023 The Author IDEAS is licensed under CC-BY-SA 4.0 License Issued by English study program of IAIN Palopo IDEAS Journal of Language Teaching and Learning, Linguistics and Literature ISSN 2338-4778 (Print) ISSN 2548-4192 (Online) Volume 11, Number 2, December 2023 pp. 1583 - 1589 The Semiotic Analysis of Sam Smith’s Performance Of “Unholy’s Song” At the Grammy Award 2023 Leriana Marbun1; Arsen Nahum Pasaribu2; Rony Arahta Sembiring3 lerianamarbun09@gmail.com1, arsen.pasaribu@uhn.ac.id2 ronyarahta.sembiring@uhn.ac.id3 123Sastra Inggris, Universitas HKBP Nommensen, Medan,Sumatera Utara Received: 2023-11-6 Accepted: 2023-12-28 DOI: 10.24256/ideas.v11i2.4301 Abstract The purpose of this research is to describe and examine the semiotic process and the message that implied on Sam Smith ft Kim Petras’ performance of “Unholy Song” in Grammy Awards 2023. The semiotic approach is used to identify and to analyze the data which focuses on Sign/Representment (icon, index, symbol), Object (Qualisign, Sinsign, Legisign) and Interpretant (Rheme-Decisign, Argument). This study employed qualitative research with a descriptive design as the data were collected in the form of several images. In analysing data, the writer watched the performances’ videos, captured the videoclips into the 31 images, and analyzed the data with the triangle meaning of Pierce’s theory. Based on the result finding, there are 15 icons, 6 indexes, 29 symbols, 31 qualisigns, 16 singings, 20 legisigns, 21 rhymes, 5 decisions and 2 arguments. The writer can conclude that the most prominent aspect is qualisign, especially for the colour, red and black. Red represents anger and black represents power and darkness. Qualisign is the dominant aspect because Sam Smith use colour more to convey messages and signs to people. Keywords: Semiotic, Sanders Pierce’s theory, Sam Smith Performance’ images. Introduction In this modern era, social media is the most popular platform for people to stay up to date on all events or news that happen around the world. Starting with local or even http://u.lipi.go.id/1457703302 mailto:lerianamarbun09@gmail.com mailto:arsen.pasaribu@uhn.ac.id mailto:ronyarahta.sembiring@uhn.ac.id Leriana Marbun1; Arsen Nahum Pasaribu2; Rony Arahta Sembiring3 The Semiotic Analysis of Sam Smith’s Performance Of “Unholy’s Song” At the Grammy Award 2023 1584 international news. Start in 1969, the Internet was launched by the United States Department of Defense. The project was named Arpanet. The era was improved a lot. According to Agitation, Entertainment is the result of fun and games that arise from experiences via social media. Television and radio are the entertainment tools for people, to can enjoy movies, series, concerts, stage actions of artist, and also listen to the music by some musicians. Writers or singers communicate with their audiences through their work. A musician's video clips become a tool to help them convey the messages they want. The process of globalization leads to an assortment of changes and patterns in life and its cultural manifestations, including popular culture. Pop culture changed over time with lifestyle changes that directly affected all levels of society. As a result of the entertaining and educational content, video clips are prominent with individuals of every generation. Music, the form of culture, is one of the most popular form of entertainment. The world's most prestigious music entertainment event is Grammy Awards. The Grammy Award (originally known as the Gramophone Awards) is a music industry award presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in the music industry. The Grammy stage is held 64 times. The Grammy Award was last held in February 2023 with a lot of controversy at the event. The appearance of Sam Smith singing his song "unholy" is one of the most unusual with a very different appearance to his initial debut as a singer. Sam Smith used to appear very gentlemanly, but he has changed his appearance become more feminine with very distinctive clothing ornaments. The singer exhibits a lot of scenes in each video clip that we can analyze them with semiotic theory. In her book, (Dr.Hj.Fatimah,S.S., 2019) said that semiotic is study of sign in all aspects of human life. Humans, as social and cultural organisms, have the ability to conceal existing signs. Semiotics becomes the writer's tool to help interpret the signs displayed by musicians, particularly foreign musicians, in order to analyze the hidden meanings in celebrity appearance. Semiotics is a subsidiary of linguistics which means “study of languages”. Semiotic supposes to the description of knowledge about signs that contain the message separately to be delivered to results. In other statements, the study of how signs of all different occupations communicate significance in that society. In the advancement of era, technology, and human life, an unusual controversy is constantly being topic of the headline. the unusual appearance of Sam Smith, which has been equated to devil worship, has become the global headline. Many people speculate about their appearance and give rise to rumors. To prove it, Analysts are required to assist in analyzing and finding the meaning that contained in their performances with the help of semiotic analysis. Semiotic theory has become a compulsory study for writers since fifth semester. This theory will help to find the meaning in each sign. which is in the appearance of Sam Smith, the writer will find signs related to the devil worship that goes viral in the beginning of 2023. The writer’s purpose in writing this thesis is to reveal all the meanings of the Sam Smith ft Kim Patras’s performance. their performance was criticized by global netizens as demonstrating his participation in satanic stream. With semiotic IDEAS, Vol. 11, No. 2, December 2023 ISSN 2338-4778 (Print) ISSN 2548-4192 (Online) 1585 analysis of Charles Sanders Pierce Theory and will be supported by Roland Barthes Theory, the writer eagers to know every scene and controversy in the 3.26 minutes performance which the audience cannot interpret directly in Grammy Stage 2023. Method Qualitative method is used in this research and combine with Charles Sanders Pierce's semiotic approach. This research is helped and supported by the use of the research methods. According to (Moleong, 2017) qualitative research is research that aims to understand the phenomenon of what research subjects experience, such as behavior, perception, motivation, action, and others, holistically and through descriptions in the form of words and language, in a specific natural context, using various natural methods. The writer's data are obtained from the images of the phenomenal videos of Sam Smith ft Kim Petras’ performance in YouTube. The writer used the documentation technique as stated by Sugiyono (2018), documentation is a method for obtaining data and information in the form of books, archives, documents, written numbers, and pictures in the form of reports and information that can support research. The data collected by captured every scene in the five videos of the Sam Smith ft Kim Petra’s’ Performances on the stages with “Unholy” song. Results and Discussion This research supposed to identifying every scenes of Sam Smith’s performance of unholy using the Charles Sanders Pierce’s theory and analyze them all using the nine aspect of the triangle meaning: Object (symbol-index-icon), Sign (qualisign-sinsign-legisign), Interpretant (rheme-decisign-argument). In this section, the writer shows several data analysis of the performance’s capture. No Object Sign/Representament Interpretant 1 There is the photo of the man (Sam Smith) hold the mic (sing) with the keen vision shows 3 fingers. Symbol: The three fingers show the meaning “okay” Index: The sharp eyes are the sign of anger The man shows the three fingers with the keen vision. Qualisign : Man's bravery and hazardous things are symbolized by the color red. Sinsign : The 3 fingers show meaning “okay”. Keen vision means angry It demonstrates that the man can control everything to fine in every condition. Rheme: The keen vision demonstrates that the man is angry Leriana Marbun1; Arsen Nahum Pasaribu2; Rony Arahta Sembiring3 The Semiotic Analysis of Sam Smith’s Performance Of “Unholy’s Song” At the Grammy Award 2023 1586 Based on the table above, Sam Smith is singing while shows three fingers and keen vision which is demonstrate the meaning of “every situation is fine” with the lyrics “Bout all the - you tell me that you do”. In index, the sharp eyes are the sign of anger. In qualisign, red colour represents bravery and hazardous things, in sinsign, the sharp eyes represent that Sam Smith is angry and the rheme indicates that Sam is angry. No Object Sign/Representament Interpretant 2 The photo of the man who uses the red hat and sticking his tongue out Icon: The hat indicates the devil horn sign Index: His tongue reveals that he is hot and ferocious. Symbol: The hat shows a devil The man who wears the red hat and sticking his tongue out. Qualisign : Red Colour shows the aggressivity,anger and hell fire. Sinsign : Sticking tongue means mocking Legisign: The hat with the horns symbolizes the devil Demonstrate the man's strength and aggressiveness. He’s in power Rheme: Sticking the tongue could be feeling spiciness, mocking, Showing bravery or aggressive. Sam Smith’s wearing the hell’s hat that full of red colour that shows fire, anger, aggressiveness, and strength. In Object, the photo of Sam Smith with the red hat, and in the photo, he’s sticking the tongue which shows different desire. The sticking probably feels spiciness, mocking, showing bravery or aggressive that indicates the rheme in this datum. In qualisign, red shows aggressivity, anger and hellfire. In sinsign, sticking the tongue means mocking. In rheme, sticking tongue could be feeling spiceness, mocking or might shows bravery and aggressivity in the lyrics “Mummy don't know daddy's getting hot”. No Object Sign/Representament Interpretant IDEAS, Vol. 11, No. 2, December 2023 ISSN 2338-4778 (Print) ISSN 2548-4192 (Online) 1587 3 The photo of prisoner Icon : The prison cage Symbol : Prison cage indicates the criminals There is a woman inside the prison cage. Qualisign: Red indicates bravery, criminal and wild Sinsign : Fire indicates the hot situations. Legisign : The cage indicates punishment. The woman made a mistake and was locked in a cage and could’nt go anywhere. Rheme : People on the top of the cage might helping the prisioners go out or preventing the prisoner from escaping Argument : Someone put into the jail because of crime Kim Petras is singing inside the prison cage that is the symbol of criminals. In qualisign, the red indicates the bravery, wild and criminal. The fore also indicates the hot situations while in Legisign, the cage indicate a punishment. The woman made a mistake and was locked in a cage and there are people on the top of the cage. but it can create two representations. They might help kim petras out, or might preventing her to not escaping for the jail cage. The cage can mean if someone do the crime, they were put to the jail. The lyrics is “Mmm, daddy,daddy,if you want it,drop the addy’y (yug) Give me love, give me Fendi, my Balenciaga daddy” No Object Sign/Representament Interpretant 4 The photo of the man who surrounded by women look like satan Icon : The hat indicates the devil horn sign Symbol : The hat shows a devil A man surrounded by people with evilly long hair Qualisign: The red represents devil, wild and anger.the black represent mistery of all of satans that surrounded the man Sinsign : The woman look like satan ( kuntilak) The women want to take the man to hell and put him into satanic stream. Rheme : The women’s hands that touch the man might ask for help or asking to follow them into satanic stream Based on the data analysis 5, Sam Smith is standing in the middle of people with evely long hair who touch him. He uses the hat that indicates the devil horn sign. In qualisign, the red which is dominant represents devil, wild and anger. while black represent the darkness. In sinsign, woman look like satan. In this scene, all those people want to take the man to the Leriana Marbun1; Arsen Nahum Pasaribu2; Rony Arahta Sembiring3 The Semiotic Analysis of Sam Smith’s Performance Of “Unholy’s Song” At the Grammy Award 2023 1588 hell and put him into Satanist. Conclusion In this research, the writer found there were various characteristics of the signs. And sometimes, not everyone interprets the same way. Sam smith’s performances show us plenty of signs that represent the satanic worship. While previously, people defined their perform is one of the openly worshiping Satan in the eyes of the public at the Grammy Awards stage. The goal of this study is to look at and show the validity of the problems outlined in the introduction. with analysing all of the captures by the triangle meaning of Pierce’s Theory. Subsequent to analysing with the triangle meaning of Pierce (icon- symbom-index-qualigin-sinsign-legisign-rheme-decisign-argument), the writer came across that the dominant sign that they present is Qualisign which represent the meaning by colour (red). Every scene insisted of the sign of devil or satanic worship such us the darkness colour, aggressiveness and sexual gestures. the use of dominant colours and gestures that indicate the devil worship conveyed significant evidence that Sam Smith has been trying to set up an evil cult on the public Acknowledgement The writer would like to say thank you to Jesus Christ for the blessing, love, opportunity, health, and mercy so that the writer could finish this paper. And for the family and best friend who are always stand by the writer’s side while processing this paper. Producing this paper can be tough without financial support from family and the writer’s office (Erudite English-105 Kiss Fm Medan) and finally, the writer has completed the paper completely with good goals and an informative setting up, either directly or indirectly. References Dina, O. dkk. (2020). Analisis Semiotik Video Klip Bts “ Blood , Sweat and Tears ” Sebagai Representasi Masa Muda. 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