Semmuel “Semme” Jenkins was pleasantly surprised that something he started as a way to gain confidence and introduce himself on the popular social media platform, Tik Tok, has gained so much attention. His song “Do Dat” has inspired other social media users to create over 30 thousand videos using his song and hashtag (#tiktokresume) and has produced over 400 million views between all the videos posted so far.
“I had just downloaded the app and was trying to figure out how it worked. I was seeing a bunch of confident kids showing off their talents and effortlessly being themselves. I was tempted to post, but my insecurities prevented me from introducing myself,” commented Semme. He said he wanted to create something fun, creative, and kid-friendly that encouraged others to feel confident and introduce themselves. Semme was born with albinism, a condition where his skin, hair, and eyes lack pigmentation.
“I wanted to give others an opportunity to do something that was difficult for me to do. It makes me happy to see everyone enjoying the song and making their resumes. It really is a blessing and a dream come true,” he said. Semme’s distinctive physical differences have had their challenges growing up. “For years, I struggled with mental health issues. There were so many days where I would contemplate not wanting to be here anymore. I was able to overcome my inner demons and, through the grace of God, make it out the other side, a completely different person. For the first time, I love my life. I love living.” Semme was born in Tacoma, Washington, and began creating music during high school in 2014. Music has always been a healing mechanism of Semme’s, and ever since he was a small child, he found himself drawn to it. “The sound of an A minor chord is the most therapeutic thing in the world to me,” he commented. By late 2016, private record label Graphic Entertainment Music signed him and recorded “Stay The Course” under the name “Semme Automatic.” The partnership and friendship he developed with the label’s founders, Rodney Goldsmith and Derek Odgen, have had long-lasting influences on his life and career.
Things took an unfortunate turn in 2018 when Goldsmith passed away from a heart attack after suffering from years of congestive heart failure. With Goldsmith now gone, Semme was forced to take on the role of producer and mix engineer. Semme’s first song, which he holds credits as both writer and producer, was “Heartbroken.”, a tribute to Goldsmith’s untimely passing. The following year Semme became a co-owner of Graphic Entertainment Music LLC, and he began creating content under the new name “Semme”. After becoming co-owner of GEM, Semme & Ogden formed “I Support Albinism” and made a short film about rejection and anti-bullying supported by Stopbullying.gov and Underthesamesun.com called “Don’t Look At Me.”
“I didn’t have many friends in school growing up. I was always a bit of a loner. I wrote the words in this film with the people like me in mind, the wallflowers, the misunderstood.” Music has healed and helped him overcome many obstacles, and he continues to create projects that educate and inspire others facing challenges fitting into society. This year, Semme founded Ansem Projects, a marketing company that he started on the Gulf Coast to help others grow their marketing campaigns and increase their online influence. After years of personal struggle marketing himself, Semme said, “Through trial and error, we started to home in on methods that produced quality results. Once I could test these methods on different platforms and niches and see a success pattern, I became confident that I could turn it into a business and help others.” He currently has over 60,000 followers across all of his social media platforms.
His song’s success on Tik Tok has led to several record label executives and A&Rs contacting him. For now, Semme remains a free agent but says that he is open to signing under the right circumstances. He continues to advocate against bullying and hopes to inspire others to believe in themselves and not be afraid to share their light with the world, just as his hit song “Do Dat” suggests.