There is something innately human about wanting to hold onto the things that hurt us, and for Fia James, those moments filled with mountains of confusion and unanswered questions eventually became the foundation for her debut EP, spotless state of mind.
Teenagers stood clutching their phones in both hands, rehearsing what they might film, or maybe just trying to steady themselves. Parents lingered near the back, half-present, half-documenting. It felt less like a typical gig and more like a first-concert rite of passage unfolding in real time. Headlining two back-to-back shows at Hoxton Hall, in the same venue where she attended some of her first concerts as a kid, Freya Skye walked out to a sold-out room of endearing fans.
The first thing that struck me about the show was the crowd. Kids as young as four sat cross-legged on the floor or leaned over the balconies, squeezing past other fans in the hope of getting a wave from their favourite singer. There wasn’t a single moment when tweens weren’t screaming along to every lyric.
Watching it happen brought me straight back to my own earliest shows, something I reflect on when thinking about my first concert in 2009, the Jonas Brothers in the flesh! There’s a kind of nervous joy that exists only at your first concert, and it filled the room before Freya even stepped onstage.
The set itself was intentionally stripped back. Acoustic arrangements. It put the focus on Freya’s voice, lyricism, and the way she connected with the audience in front of her. She spoke between songs in a way that felt genuine, acknowledging the room without trying to control it.
PC: Uchechi Adeboye
What stood out most was how present she was with the crowd. She wasn’t performing at them; she was performing with them. Songs like “silent treatment” landed differently in this setting. At only 16, Freya is in no way new to performance, the songwriter made her mark in 2022 as a contestant in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. Four years later, Freya has clearly spent time honing her craft, and her recent film debut in Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires has only widened the circle of people finding their way to her music.
There was also something quietly emotional about seeing Freya perform in London, knowing this is where she’s from. In a year where her career has accelerated so quickly, this show felt grounding, like a pause before everything gets bigger. A moment to come home, and simply play.
Freya is taking this energy on the road next, heading out on sold-out her Stars Align Tour across the US and UK in February and March.
PC: Uchechi Adeboye
In a small wooden nook of the legendary St Pancras Clock Tower, with the London skyline glowing through the windows, Bastille’s Dan Smith brought his & (Ampersand) project to a close on 26 August, a bookend to the series and to summer itself.
There’s something quietly powerful about what daydreamers is doing. Their music taps into an energy that’s been missing in modern pop, and it couldn’t be more welcome.
Formed by lead vocalist Pooja Prabakaran, guitarist/producer Noah Weinstein, and drummer Wallace, the trio began as a college basement collaboration that quickly evolved into the dynamic indie pop-rock band, Koyal.
Leanna Firestone is no stranger to storytelling, whether throughout her early days as a fanfiction writer or creating deeply personal lyrics, the 23-year-old singer-songwriter has always had a talent for narrating her words into something special. Her latest single, “Keeping Score,” tells the tale of getting revenge on an ex. However, on the track, the Nashville-based artist takes a break from autobiographical songwriting and embraces a playful and fictional story.
First capturing the hearts of thousands of fans through live streams from his bedroom in 2016, Jonah Marais’ humble beginnings in Stillwater, Minnesota, led him to a whirlwind career as a co-founder and member of the renowned and beloved boyband Why Don’t We.
It is absolutely wild to believe how much can change within a year. I thought about our interview with Ben Ellis last year on a Zoom call, talking about the release of his very first EP, The Ed’s House. Back then, he was just starting to make his mark, full of excitement and nerves about what lay ahead.
At just 22, maryjo has emerged as a standout in the rising pop scene. Known for her powerhouse vocals and beloved appearance on Season 19 of American Idol, the Cleveland native overcame her childhood fear of singing in public to seize her big break on the show.
Presented by The GRAMMY Museum, The Knockturnal was invited to an exclusive conversation with musician Julius Rodriguez in honor of his latest body of work, Evergreen.