On Thursday, November 7, Mercury Lounge welcomed Sammy Wilk and his youthful, devoted, energetic fanbase to the Lower East Side.
Wilk is the latest in social media stars to make the transition from the small screen to centerstage. What started off as your typical show evolved into something akin to an early-20s basement party hosted by the really popular guy whose friends you aren’t too familiar with, although you may have a thing or two in common. The party began with shot gunning a beer alongside his sister amongst a sea of enthusiastic cheers, which led to swigs of alcohol out of a water bottle with his parents on stage, and ended with Wilk having a dance-off with a fan. It was clear that he wasn’t just there to impress everyone with his vocals–Wilk was there to have fun.
While a quick glance at him in his striped shirt and denim, fur-collared jacket may give you “lost boyband member” vibes, a few songs into listening to Wilk will make you wonder which band he’d even be able to fit into. Opening his set with his song “Aye Ma,” Wilk adopted the popular seamless transition from singing to rapping that has paved its way as a prevalent style in mainstream music within the last decade. Yet, a little more than halfway through his performance, Wilk sang his undeniably reggae track, “Light Up,” which included a feature with Ky-Mani Marley from his 2016 album, Ready for War. Perhaps one of his catchiest singles, “Lift Off”, showcased his edgy, pop-R&B crossover voice (think Aaron Carter’s 2017/2018 comeback mixed with Post Malone). To make matters more eclectic, as of 2019, the Omaha, Nebraska native is now a part of KSR Group, perhaps most known for their association with Cardi B. Thoroughly entertaining and inarguably talented, an evening spent watching Wilk and listening to his fans sing along to every word provides an answer to the question “Why do you have to pick one genre when you can just perform them all?” Well, we guess you don’t.
Check out Sammy Wilk’s latest EP, “Keep it in the Middle” here, and see for yourself.