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Cody Critcheloe (fka SSION)
OriginKansas City, Missouri, United States
GenresQueercore, Punk, Pop, Indie Rock
Occupation(s)director, photographer, visual artist, and musician
Years active2002–current
Websitession.com

Cody Critcheloe is an American director, photographer, visual artist, and musician, known for his provocative and visually daring work across music videos and photography.[1] Initially gaining recognition through his music/visual project SSION (pronounced shun), Critcheloe has since embraced a singular creative artistry, known for crafting surreal, high concept-driven worlds distinguished by bold, cinematic storytelling, super saturated art direction, and a subversive sense of humor.[2] His visual language—often maximalist, deeply referential, and playfully confrontational—draws inspiration from punk graphics, queer iconography, '90s advertising, and experimental art house cinema.

Early life and education

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Critcheloe was born and raised in Kentucky.[3] He studied painting at the Kansas City Art Institute, where his early interest in stop-motion animation sparked a broader passion for filmmaking. This tactile, frame-by-frame approach to storytelling would go on to inform his later video work.

While still in art school, Critcheloe created the album artwork for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Fever to Tell and directed early music videos for Liars and Peaches, as well as a series of animated videos for his own project, SSION. During this time, he also mentored fellow student BloodPop, introducing him to pop songwriting and music production.[4]

SSION and Early Work

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Critcheloe first gained widespread attention through SSION, a genre-defying musical project. It blended pop hooks and punk attitude, plus some immersive visual storytelling. SSION served as a testing ground for Critcheloe's creative evolution, with each release accompanied by self-directed visuals that pushed the boundaries of music video as a medium. The project's aesthetic—queer, campy, dystopian, and often DIY—cemented Critcheloe's reputation as an innovator in both underground music and visual culture.

SSION's influence remains foundational to the development of queer pop aesthetics in the 2010s and beyond.

Career as Director and Photographer

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Critcheloe is celebrated for his hyper-stylized, concept-driven work with artists such as Robyn, Yves Tumour, J-Hope, Katseye, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Perfume Genius, and Kim Petras, as well as fashion powerhouses like Diesel, Versace, and Hood By Air. Whether constructing immersive, world-building narratives or capturing complex identities in a single arresting frame, Critcheloe's output pushes traditional boundaries—provoking, delighting, and redefining the visual language of contemporary culture.

Selected Video Works – Director and Photographer

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  • 2005 – Liars, "There's Always Room on the Broom", music video director
  • 2008 – Tilly and the Wall, "Beat Control", music video director
  • 2009 – Gossip, Music for Men, infomercial director
  • 2010 – Gossip, Men in Love, music video director
  • 2010 – Peaches, "Billionaire", music video director
  • 2011 – Santigold, "Big Mouth", music video director
  • 2011 – MNDR, "#1 in Heaven", music video director
  • 2014 – Dum Dum Girls, "Lost Boys and Girls Club", music video director
  • 2014 – Kylie Minogue, "Sexercize", music video director
  • 2014 – Perfume Genius, "Queen", music video director
  • 2015 – Robyn, "Love is Free", music video director
  • 2015 – Lower Dens, "To Die in L.A.", music video director
  • 2015 – Brooke Candy, "Renegade", music video director
  • 2015 – Mykki Blanco, "No Leash", music video director
  • 2018 – Robyn, "Between the Lines", music video director
  • 2018 – King Princess, "Prophet", music video director
  • 2019 – Allie X, "Fresh Laundry", music video director[5]
  • 2019 – Allie X, "Regulars", music video director
  • 2019 – King Princess, "Ohio", music video director
  • 2020 – Yves Tumor, "Kerosene", music video director
  • 2020 - Versace "All For You", Holiday Campaign Short, director
  • 2022 – Yeah Yeah Yeahs featuring Perfume Genius, "Spitting Off the Edge of the World", music video director
  • 2022 – Demi Lovato, "Substance", music video director
  • 2023 – Yves Tumor, "Heaven Surrounds Us Like a Hood", music video director
  • 2023 – Gossip, Crazy Again, video director
  • 2023 - Diesel, D-Red Fragrance Campaign, director & photographer
  • 2023 - Kim Petras, "Slut Pop Miami," director & photographer
  • 2024 – Katseye, "Touch", music video director[6]
  • 2025 – Perfume Genius, "It's a Mirror", music video director
  • 2025 – Perfume Genius, "No Front Teeth" ft. aldous harding, music video director
  • 2025 – J-Hope feat. GloRilla – "Killin' It Girl" | Director, photographer
  • 2025 – Katseye – "Gnarly" | Director

SSION – Self-Directed Music Videos

  • 2006 – SSION, "Street Jizz", music video director
  • 2007 – SSION, "ASAP", music video director
  • 2008 – SSION, "Ah Ma", music video director
  • 2008 – SSION, "A Wolves Eye", music video director
  • 2008 – SSION, "Credit in the Straight World", music video director
  • 2008 – SSION, "Warm Glove", music video director
  • 2009 – SSION, Bullshit, music video director
  • 2010 – SSION, "Clown", music video director
  • 2012 – SSION, "My Love Grows in the Dark", music video director
  • 2012 – SSION, "Earthquake", music video director
  • 2012 – SSION, "Feel Good (4-Evr)", music video director
  • 2012 – SSION, "Psy-chic", music video director
  • 2013 – SSION, "Luvvbazaar", music video director
  • 2013 – SSION, "High", music video director
  • 2018 – SSION, "Comeback", director[7]
  • 2018 – SSION, "At Least The Sky Is Blue", director
  • 2018 – SSION, "Heaven is My Thing Again", director
  • 2018 – SSION, "Inherit", director[8]

References

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  1. ^ Benjamin, Mark (July 17, 2020). "Interview: SSION, As Big As I Can Dream". RAIN Magazine. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  2. ^ "Cody Critcheloe discusses his new album, O". Artforum. May 7, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  3. ^ Farber, Jim (April 26, 2018). "Ssion, a D.I.Y. Hero of the Technicolor Underground, Returns Refreshed (Published 2018)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  4. ^ "Ssion: Bent". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  5. ^ Allie X – Fresh Laundry, archived from the original on December 15, 2021, retrieved September 28, 2019
  6. ^ KATSEYE (캣츠아이) "Touch" Official MV (Video). July 26, 2024. Archived from the original on July 26, 2024 – via YouTube.
  7. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: SSION - 'Comeback' (Official Music Video) – via YouTube.
  8. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: SSION ft. Ariel Pink - 'At Least The Sky Is Blue' [Official Music Video] – via YouTube.
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