Last Friday, I had the pleasure of attending the Bad Bunny concert, and it was an unforgettable experience. I arrived at 8 PM and the lines outside of Barclays Center went on for at least two blocks.
March 9th was one of the windiest days of the year in Atlanta. But the violent winds were nothing in comparison to what Burna Boy had in store for the fans at State Farm Arena.
Maeta has just finished meeting and mingling with fans as they rave over her performance and excitedly take photos together. I’m waiting in the cold, sketchy basement disguised as a dressing room masked with terrible lighting when, suddenly, a sudden warmth washes over my body. I hear her melodious voice filling the space. She’s singing while heading towards me. It was finally time for our awaited sit-down.
On a Wednesday night in Atlanta, singer-songwriter Maeta performs her sold-out show at Center Stage, a venue housing three spaces under one roof. She’s at The Vinyl, the more intimate venue of the three, with its low ceilings and standing room, and a few random couches near the sound booth.
The crowd was lively even before Maeta hit the stage. As the music played, I went to the bar for a vodka soda with lime, waiting for her to grace the stage. She arrived slightly past her scheduled time. She’s accompanied by her two backup singers Caleb Curry and LennAsia Unique, two artists with strong, polished voices effortlessly weaving emotion and skill into every note they sing.
They perform songs from Maeta’s new album When I Hear Your Name released earlier this year. The sultry R&B project features vocals from Ambré, James Fauntleroy, Ty Dolla $ign, Lucky Daye, and Free Nationals, with production by Pharrell and KAYTRANADA.
The 13-track album fuses pop and soul while delving into the complexities of love and the exhilarating feeling surrounding wanting someone who may not be the best for us but feels right at the moment. But moments are temporary and Maeta explores that fleeting joy in tracks like “ASMR” and “Control Freak.”
The crowd caught a glimpse of those emotions when Maeta takes a brief pause in the midst of her set to give Caleb and LennAsia some shine. Caleb performed “Can’t Be Friends” by Trey Songz and sounded almost identical to the recorded version. Following, LennAsia captivates the audience with the timeless classic, my personal karaoke favorite, “I’m Going Down” by Mary J Blige. The audience responded to Caleb and LennAsia with the same enthusiasm they showed Maeta, cheering the duo on as if it were their performance.
Throughout the night, there were times when she’d interrupt her singing to share a joke with a fan or acknowledge the vibrant energy in the room. She sports a contagious Kool-Aid smile the entire concert. I could tell she was enjoying herself as much as we were. After performing “Fuck Your Friend” she confirmed my thoughts, telling us that Atlanta might be her favorite crowd so far, prompting cheers and raised drinks.
Credit: Angel Roman
Towards the end of her set, she takes it back to her roots. Maeta’s musical journey started on SoundCloud in 2018 where she would post covers of songs by Minnie Riperton, Jhene Aiko, Drake, and more of her favorite artists. So, it only made sense to wrap up the show with her intoxicating renditions of Beyonce’s “1+1” and Silk Sonic’s “Leave The Door Open.”
The concert concludes and I head down to her dressing room.
Coming down the basement stairs after her one-hour set, she continues singing effortlessly, perfectly hitting every note in her runs. Behind her are her backup singers, her Tour Manager, and other crew. She immediately walks over to greet me.
I remembered LennAsia mentioning on stage that they all call her ‘Money Maeta.’ So naturally, as an over-eager fan, that’s how I greet her.
“Hi, Money Maeta!” I say with enthusiasm. She immediately laughs and we hug like two old friends before sitting down. She reaches for a big bag of Skittles on the table in front of us. I ask if that’s her favorite candy, to which she replies “No. I don’t know why I asked for it, honestly,” with a mouthful of rainbow candy.
It starts to settle in that this is actually happening and my anxiety surges. In situations like this, a shot of tequila would be my remedy for taking the edge off. Spotting a bottle of tequila near the entrance, I don’t mention it to maintain professionalism. But almost as if she read my mind, LennAsia spontaneously asks the room “Should we take a shot?!”
We gather around with our cups and toast to one more show before the tour ends. After Atlanta, Maeta will wrap up The When I Hear Your Name Tour with a final performance in D.C. The tour started in August and has ventured through cities across the country, including Chicago, Brooklyn, and Los Angeles, before heading to Europe to perform in London, Berlin, and Paris.
Every person in the room is super friendly and welcoming, including me in their conversations and treating me like they’ve known me for longer than 15 minutes. In a fleeting moment of delusion, I felt as If I was a part of the crew. Like I was meant to be there.
It’s late and nearing midnight. I overheard some of the crew talking about how hungry they were so I didn’t want to waste too much time. I’m sure it’s been a long couple of months for everyone. With the holidays and the new year approaching, Maeta shares with me that she’s fulfilled yet exhausted.
“We got one more show and then we can finally go home. We’ve been going for a few months so now we’re all kind of ready to be done.”
And still, despite her tired state and hectic schedule, the Roc Nation signee found the time to talk to me about her first solo tour, working with industry legends, her journey from girl to woman, and how she’ll be a force to be reckoned with come 2024.
Has this tour been everything you imagined it to be?
It’s my first tour so I know we’re still in the trenches. It’s not as glamorous as I would like it to be but I really loved my team. I keep talking about my damn background singers, and they don’t give the love back, which kind of pisses me off. But I really love them. And having them around has helped my mental health, my health, and just everything. I love my team. And I look forward to just hanging out and being around them when we’re on tour.
My introduction to you was in 2019. I found your song “Kind of Fool” from your EP Do Not Disturb.
Wait, really?!
Doesn’t that seem like light years ago? The pandemic completely ruined my perception of time.
I went through so much since then. I feel like I’m a whole different person. That [era] is like a little girl to me. I feel like I’m a woman now and I’ve been through certain things. When [Do Not Disturb] came out, I was living in an apartment with no windows, and no WiFi, I had to go to a Starbucks to use my computer. So, seeing the growth is amazing.
You recently performed at the 2023 Soul Train Awards. How was that?
Amazing! It was so different because they did it outside at night on a mountain. And there was nothing to warm us up outside so I was freezing. I got so sick afterwards for like, three days. It was bad. But the performance was really good. I’m proud of it. Watching all the videos and seeing all the love it’s getting is making me very proud. It was my first award show performance ever. So yeah, I’m proud of it. But it was definitely a struggle and I think people don’t realize how hard it was.
To be fair, I couldn’t tell you were having a hard time at all. The wind blowing through your hair while you sang reminded me of Beyoncé.
Honestly, It’s LA at night. It’s gonna be cold. The wind was so bad that they had to stop filming for about an hour.
You and James Fauntleroy both have songs on each other’s projects. He’s featured on your song “Sexual Love” and you’re featured on “Mistletoe” on his new Christmas album The Warmest Winter Ever.
We made [Mistletoe] like three years ago. I just hopped on it and he told me “Do what you want,” and we put it out. I really love that song.
You’ve both been working together for years. I’ve always felt like James [Fauntleroy] is lowkey an A&R. He’s discovered so many artists before the masses found out about them. What have you learned from him?
I’m so appreciative of his character because he’s a legend. He’s all these amazing things. When I was first signed at 19, and nobody wanted to work with me. And my A&R had to fight people to want to work with me, he was just so cool about working with me all the time. He’s very generous and has been very generous with me. And I see him being like that with other people. He’s a very humble person. He can write a song in like, 20 minutes. He just has something nobody else can recreate.
Your album When I Hear Your Name features some of the biggest names in R&B right now. How does it feel to be embraced by so many top hitters and veterans?
Sometimes, I have to pinch myself because I’m a little girl from Indiana. I was just doing Instagram covers and now I’m in Pharrell’s house. And he’s complimenting me and shit. These are full-circle moments. It’s crazy how you can start from the most random place in the world and now I’m at Pharell’s house. It was a timestamp in my life. I’ve made it to a specific place in my career and I felt fulfilled. I learned from him that no matter how successful you are, to stay humble because he was so nice to me. He treated me like a regular human being and always asked for my opinion.
Have you learned how to be vocal about your feelings in moments like that rather than shying away due to fear?
I actually had to stop doing that for a bit.
Really?
I’m such a hater.
(Laughs) Don’t say that.
I really am a hater.
Oh God.
I shut things down. if somebody has a new idea, and I’m not feeling it, I shut it down. And I’ve had to learn like, stop being so rigid. So, I’ve had to learn to stop shutting down ideas that push me and challenges and things like that. I’m very opinionated. I’m a control freak, especially when it comes to my art. I’ve been doing music my whole life all by myself and now that I’m signed, I have a team of people telling me what to do. At first, it was an overwhelming experience. But now I love my team, and I trust them. And I don’t know what I would do without them.
Do you think that’s the Pisces in you?
Maybe. I’m indecisive and I question everything.
You’ve said that this is the most passionate you’ve been about a project because you’re actually living what you’re singing, as opposed to past projects which felt more like manifestations. How did you get to this point now?
I think that people always knew when I would perform those songs, I wasn’t connecting [with them.] It just was something that wasn’t clicking. And I think, I really feel my music. When I sing it. When I listen to it. Every time I would put a project out, I wouldn’t listen to it. I would just forget about it.
But yesterday, I did my Apple Music Replay and I’m my top artist. For more than 2,000 minutes I’ve listened to my own music. So, it shows that I really love what I’m doing now. I just experienced some deep and dark moments in life and spent a few years working on it. And I’m so proud of it. I feel it in my soul when I listen to it and when I talk about it.
Who else was in your Apple Music Replay? Who have you been listening to?
I love Yebba and India Shawn. There’s a girl named ABSOLUTELY. She’s RAYE’s little sister. She’s written a bunch of amazing songs for different artists. She’s a 19-year-old prodigy.
You hate the word vibe.
I knew you were gonna talk about that.
You hate when people describe music as a “vibe,” especially your music. What name would you give your music?
That’s the issue because I can’t think of a better word. I think my music is soulful and passionate and rough and gritty.
I would call it ‘Soft Girl Music.’
That’s a good way to put it because I know exactly what you mean and you didn’t even have to say “vibe.”
How do you feel 2024 will be different for you?
Okay, so here’s my new conclusion for 2024. I just decided this about two days ago. It was like a light switch went off. I’m very generous and I’m very forgiving. Sometimes, I’ll put myself through shit to make other people feel good. I’m in a place right now where I’m done normalizing pain in love. I’m a Pisces so I feel things so hard but right now I’m in a place where I just want to demand respect for myself and to be treated well. I’m ready to be a little more selfish next year.
I’m done sacrificing my own happiness and peace for other people. It’s exhausting. Yeah, I want love to feel good. I want love to not make me cry once every other fucking day, you know?
Victoria Monet took over Atlanta Tuesday night at the Buckhead Theatre, where she performed on her first, official headlining tour, The Jaguar Tour. On Aug. 25, the singer-songwriter released her debut studio album Jaguar II, the sequel to her 2020 EP Jaguar.
The Jaguar Tour kicked off Sep. 6 in Detroit and quickly made its way through the northeast until landing in her birth city of Atlanta. They packed the venue at every corner with fans dressed in Victoria’s signature brown hue. Once she opened the show with “Moment,” we were in for a legendary night.
The audience belted out every word as she danced along with her backup dancers to “Coastin’”, “FUCK” and “Jaguar” in a sheer brown two-piece embellished with crystals.
As she transitioned into “Party Girls” featuring Jamaican Dancehall artist Buju Banton, the audience could hear the familiar melody of Beyonce’s “Baby Boy” featuring Sean Paul intertwined with the track; a nod to one of her biggest inspirations.
Highlights from the night included her entrance during “Cadillac,” decked out in a bedazzled Zoot Suit and a fedora. Her signature dance break to Trillville’s “Some Cut” sparked a viral online dance challenge last year. Last, she couldn’t end the night without performing the standout track “On My Mama,” a song with a nostalgic early 2000s vibe and a heavy mix of R&B and Hip-Hop. The song samples Chalie Boy’s 2009 hit single “I Look Good.”
Victoria Monet by Chanel Moye
Later, it was revealed that the VMAs felt it was “too early” for the Grammy-nominated artist to make her debut on their stage.
This isn’t the first time fans have had to work overtime to give their favorite artist the (rightful) recognition they deserve. Fans pressured MTV into allowing Normani to perform at the 2021 VMAs after they discovered they did not invite her to sing her new single “Wild Side” featuring Cardi B.
Following her highly expected single “Motivation” and a messy split from the popular girl group Fifth Harmony, they set Normani to make her debut as a solo artist. Her 2019 VMA performance of the song was one of the best of the year, and naturally, expectations for what would come next were high.
So, when she and the eclectic rapper joined forces to release their chart-topping collaboration “Wild Side”, it surprised fans that the VMAs didn’t extend an invitation for her to perform, especially considering the waves the music video made online. However, MTV’s apparent snub left fans questioning the network’s influence in today’s music industry landscape.
There was a point when performing at the Video Music Awards was a pivotal moment in an artist’s career. Now, we aren’t so sure. There is something to be said about MTV’s long-standing culture of excluding black artists, but that’s a conversation for another day.
While MTV was undermining her star power, she was preparing to embark on a sold-out tour. For the next three months, The Jaguar Tour will hit 22 cities across North America before ending in London on Nov. 15.
Amidst all the excitement around Jaguar II, the song was most excited to see Victoria perform on tour, is “Stop (Asking Me 4Shyt).” It is truly one of a kind and was the fan favorite of the night as the crows sang every word.
“Stop askin’ me for money, get your own
I barely even just got on
Do I look like a tree to you? Well, leaf me alone if I do”
…
“I need you to stop, askin’ me for shit Ooh, I put this on in case you forget”
As the show concluded, eager fans quickly exited the theater to glimpse the next spectacle: the massive billboard towering over the Buckhead Theatre. There, Victoria Monét lays in a seductive pose, clad in an all-black catsuit, and beneath her image, in bold letters, the sign proudly announces “SOLD OUT” with “Victoria Monét’s The Jaguar Tour” written below.
FLO is been buzzing all over social media. It started with their song “Cardboard Box” going viral on twitter and public interest hasn’t slowed down since.
On July 8th, Award-Winning Global Afropop star, Kizz Daniel performed at the Palladium Times Square theater as part of his North American Afroclassic USA Concert Tour.
The evening began with a private pre-concert cocktail reception on the rooftop of the Brooklyn Chop House in midtown of New York City. A variety of light appetizers were served for guests to enjoy as they gathered in conversation about the much-anticipated concert of the evening. An open bar was available for those who wished to indulge in specialty cocktails with titles inspired by the artist of the night, Kizz Daniel (“The Kizz”) and his new single “BUGA” (“The Lo, Lo, Lo”).
After the reception, guests were instructed to head to the concert. With hundreds of fans filling the theater anxiously awaiting his arrival, host Young Prince entertained the crowd to the sounds of popular Afrobeat hits, all of which many of us know and love. Gracing the stage with his 2018 hit “Baba,” Kizz Daniel took to the stage to put on a series of memorable performances making this a night to remember.
Amidst his performance of some of the most memorable hits, Audiomack surprised the artist of the hour with a plaque to commemorate 300+ million streams of his new single “BUGA.” With many more accomplishments to come and many more milestones to achieve, Kizz Daniel was sure to leave his mark in New York City and continues to share his love and artistry with his fans!
It’s been almost 3 years since Tomorrow X Together, or TXT, made their NYC debut at the Time Square showcase. During that show the boys, Yeonjun, Soobin, Beomgyu, Taehyun and HueningKai, showed off their individual talents and skills that their label Big Hit Music so rightly scouted and tapped. Now, the boys returned once again to the Big Apple, but this time to showcase their evolution as a cohesive group as well as share the love with their super fans, MOA. The performance certainly showcased how much the boys had really missed performing in front of their fans.
The second USA stop on their first world tour, ACT: LOVESICK, kicked off in Madison Square Garden’s Hulu theater in NYC on July 9. The show began with a quick video intro that highlighted the wonderment, mystery and self-exploration that TXT has become known for and those sentiments were mirrored throughout the show. Fog filled the theater as the boys emerged on to the stage for a powerful and emotional rendition of their hit song, “0X1=Lovesong (I Know I Love You).” As the boys performed the song they were surrounded by huge movable LED lighted performance panels that shared images of blue ice and pink jewels that chilled the audience and warmed the soul. The performance had an extended choreo and highlighted how the boys have evolved not only as vocalists and dancers but as a unit and cohesive group moving as one to convey strong and powerful emotions.
TXT then performed “Wishlist” and “Blue Orangeade,” before taking a break to chat with fans. The opening set of songs was chocked full of cuteness and charms as well as vibrant colors and flavorful fruit imagery. It literally was positivity overload. One might think that it was the end of the show given how joyful it was, but for TXT it was just the beginning. The group loved getting feedback from their MOA on their performance of “Blue Orangeade.” It was obvious that the group was delighted to be back in the presence of their American MOA after such a long break from performing in the US.
It was evident that the boys really enjoyed performing in front of the crowd as they chatted with fans. Yeonjun admitted that the boys really mold over what songs they would perform and wanted to highlight and show off songs that had never been seen before on American soil. He admitted the group wrecked their brains picking out songs. The boys went on to perform their upbeat English song, “Magic” and jumped off the stage and walked amongst the crowd to perform “Ghosting,” while shaking hands, waving, and taking pictures. The moment was so magical and intense that even the in-house camera crew couldn’t keep track of the boys as they became one and merged with Moa.
The boys continued with a new set that was certainly rocking as they were decked out in vintage T-shirts that highlighted groups like Nirvana, AC/DC, and the Rolling Stones. They performed in front of yellow caution tape graphics to begin this set with “New Rules” and then “PUMA” as well as “Balance Game. The boys finish the set by climbing onto a Jeep for “Lo$er=Lover” and “Trust Fund Baby.” As the crowd sang a long, Taehyun’s vocal prowess was on full display for these performances as the boys lit up the starry night backdrop just as if the boys were inviting the audience to a warm campfire glowing on the summer night.
After a video break, the boys return to the stage decked out in Sailor Moon-inspired shirts to perform classic monster hits songs like “Crown,” “9 and Three Quarters (Run Away)” and “Blue Hour” as well as an emotional rendition of “Magic Island.” It was clearly evident that the boys really had matured when it came to their stage presence and ability to perform. Their craftsmanship was on full display along with their development as artists but what really set the tone for the show was how much the boys truly missed and delighted with interacting with their fans.
After a short video break, the guys changed into another outfit that mirrored this set’s darker tone. With a wicked red forest behind the guys and wearing white and black outfits, they performed, “Frost,” “Maze in the Mirror,” and an epic performance of “Eternally.” The boys then stopped to chat with fans and share how much it meant to them to perform “Eternally.”
For the next set, the boys continue down a path of exploration and are not afraid to confront their Darkside with songs like “Can’t You See Me? (Rock remix)” and “Opening Sequence.” They were clad in blue and black outfits. For this set long gone was the cheerful music that had started the show. Now the boys took on dark imagery with authentic emotional expression. Then only Yeonjun and Hueningkai stayed on stage to perform their song, “Lonely Boy” as TXT’s first subunit. After this song, all the boys united on stage to kid and tease Yeonjun and Hueningkai about their song. After some funny jabs, the whole group performed a touching rendition of “Anti-Romantic.” They finished out this set with their current chart-topping hit, “Good Boy Gone Bad.”
As the boys disappeared off stage fans were left wanting more which of course TXT delivered. For their encore performances they performed “Thursday’s Child Has Far To Go” and “MOA Diary (Dubaddu Wari Wari)” and “Sweat.” During their performance of “MOA Diary (Dubaddu Wari Wari)” fans were asked to hold up signs sharing how much they loved the boys of TXT. The boys seem generally touched by this moment.
It was clear from the show, that the boys took the audience on a journey, not only of their own development as artists but as young adults maturing into adulthood. The show started with warm, upbeat, cheerful, and innocent songs that only TXT can deliver to the world of K-pop, but eventually morphed into a much darker moodier, and more authentic tone with songs that the group has become known for. However, the most touching part of the entire concert was seeing how much the boys delighted in seeing, entertaining, and connecting with their fans that they had clearly been longing for and waiting to entertain.
Tomorrow X Together and the ACT: LOVESICK tour will continue in the US for the rest of this month before TXT heads overseas. Their North American dates are as follows:
- Thursday, July 7, 2022. Rosemont Theatre, Chicago, IL
- Saturday, July 9, 2022. Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
- Tuesday, July 12, 2022. Fox Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia
- Thursday, July 14, 2022. Texas Trust CU Theatre, Grand Prairie, Texas
- Sunday, July 17, 2022. Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land, Sugar Land, TX
- Thursday, July 21, 2022. Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA
- Saturday, July 23, 2022. Microsoft Theater, Los Angeles, CA
- Sunday, July 24, 2022. Microsoft Theater, Los Angeles, CA
TXT also will be performing on Good Morning America on July 11th, 2022.
Feb 26th- Irving plaza was filled with energy as a packed house welcomed Marc E. Bassy – Nothing In This World tour.
Bright Eyes and special guests Japanese Breakfast and Lucy Dacus helped provide masked and vaccinated New Havenites with an evening of three massive indie rock performances on July 28 at Westville Music Bowl.
New York City’s premier orchestra performed live indoors for the first time in 400 days.
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