It was an early night at Popscene on June 29th when Jessie Reyez made her SF debut at Popscene. Usually doors are at 9:00pm or later at the infamous new music spot, but on that fateful Thursday night doors opened at 8:00pm. And because the balcony was closed, it was a smaller show but the mounting energy in the venue weighed heavy and the 27 year old singer/songwritter from Toronto was a huge presence as soon as she hit the stage.
When I first listened to her Kiddo her EP (released this past April) her voice struck a K. Flay chord with me. That nasally twang doesn't translate as strongly live but the forceful edge brought on by heartache and hurt both artists share definitely does. Jessie riled the room up with her spunky almost sassy vibe as she spat out indie R&B backed by low-tempo guitar, laced with lo-key hooks, carried by her spoken-word like verses.
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| Jessie Reyez @ Popscene 6/29/2017 photo by Marc Fong |
Casually hollering rachety "yah" "yah" between songs ignited fans into a frenzy which Jessie Reyez fed off of and threw right back in our faces. The 7 tracks off of her debut EP only allow for a short set and as it neared the end she picked up an acoustic guitar and sat down for an ballad like version of her sleeper hit single, "Figures".
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| Jessie Reyez @ Popscene 6/29/2017 photo by Marc Fong |
Ending on a sad note wouldn't be her style though and before you knew it she had Popscene lit again with the most hip-hop track from Kiddo, "Blue Ribbon".
And, the show was over by an unheard of 11:00 that night!
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| Jessie Reyez @ Popscene 6/29/2017 photo by Marc Fong |
Whether she's singing about cheating exs, fuck-boys or Music Industry Sexism ("Gate Keeper") Jessie Reyez unabashedly doesn't give a fuck and that's the kind of role model girls need. She blows up the passion you her in her music on stage in a gripping way. The Kiddo tour ended as of Friday in her hometown but this rising star will be back with a vengeance. Keep an eye (and an ear) on this kid.
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