Author: Ana Medvedeva

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Concert Photography

renforshort and Justus Bennetts

Toronto native and rising star renforshort brought her first North American headline tour to Brooklyn on Wednesday, September 28. Performing at Baby’s All Right, she was supported by Justus Bennetts, who has quite quickly made a name for himself in the industry.

With over 200 million streams generated in less than a year and 600k followers on Tiktok, it’s safe to say that Bennetts has made his mark on the pop scene. His music is perfect for anyone who has ever felt out of place or isolated, mixing hip-hop, rock, and R&B to document his experiences with the insecurity of adolescence. 

His quick success hasn’t gotten to his head though. Bennetts performed an energetic and entertaining set, including his viral hits “Cool Kids”, “Bad Day”, and a cover of The Killers “Mr. Brightside”. Even when faced with technical difficulties, the artist remained positive and showcased his goofy side, constantly making the crowd laugh.

Once Bennetts wrapped up his set, the sold out crowd loudly began chattering. Numerous concert goers were overheard discussing how they came out to see renforshort before she hit the mainstream and “made it big”.

As her intro music came on, the crowd whipped out their phones to document her grand entrance. Confidently walking onto the stage, the artist began her set with the lights off, slowly building them up to full brightness. As the night progressed, it became evident that the 20-year-old felt at home on stage.

The young artists set list was full of emotionally charged anthems such as “afterthoughts”, “hate the way you love me”, and a lovely cover of the Pixies “Where Is My Mind?”, all punctuated by her voice, which is reminiscent of Billie Eilish.

In a true testament to her skills, she was unphased during several technical issues. Towards the beginning of her set, the artist’s guitar wasn’t turned on, yet she continued to “play” and nonchalantly made a joke out of the situation right after. Towards the middle of the performance, her microphone randomly turned off, which made her giggle.

“This room is so small, I bet you can hear me even without the mic in between songs huh?” the artist laughed.

Though it was her first North American headline tour, renforshort showcased a level of professionalism that typically takes years to finesse. It’s clear why so many attendees predict that she will blow up in no time, though you could argue that with over 11 million streams on her single “fuck, i luv my friends”, renforshort has already made quite the name for herself.

Listen to her latest single “moshpit”, which has already garnered widespread acclaim from major outlets such as Billboard, OnesToWatch, and NME.

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Concert Photography

ericdoa at Bowery Ballroom

Performing at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City on April 28, ericdoa effortlessly showcased the three main pillars behind his music — evolution, experimentation, and inclusivity. 

With a performance that included mosh pits, backflips from audience members on stage (audience members Eric knew by name might we add), and consistent checks on the safety of the front row crowd, it’s easy to see why the musician has had such a positive trajectory in his career. 

Eric’s talent for blending raw emotion with beats that toe the line between experimental and radio friendly are what attract people to his music — his genuine nature and relatability transform them into dedicated fans. 

Signing to Interscope Records in 2021, the artist’s debut track “fantasize” was an instant success, with over 20 million streams generated. Eric was cemented as an influential artist when his release “sad4whattt” was featured on Season 2, Episode 4 of HBO’s drama Euphoria.

ericdoa is currently working on releasing his next project. In the meantime, check out his current releases here. 

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Concert Photography

Katelyn Tarver at Mercury Lounge

Katelyn Tarver kicked off her headline tour at Mercury Lounge in New York City on Tuesday, December 7. 

The L.A. based singer-songwriter is no stranger to the spotlight. She began her career in entertainment by starring in TV shows such as Nickelodeon’s Big Time Rush and HBO’s Ballers. It was only natural that Tarver transitioned into a music career after appearing on NBC’s primetime show Songland. The show puts undiscovered songwriters in front of top recording artists and producers, giving them a platform to pitch their original creations. Tarver ultimately went on to win the show in 2019, thus launching her music career. 

Tarver’s confidence and command of the stage is impressive, albeit not surprising given her background. Throughout her set, she interspersed comedic anecdotes and casually interacted with the crowd. The artist shared that performing to a live audience was a bit nerve wracking since she hadn’t toured for a few years and was so used to performing to a ring light and a computer for her Instagram live shows.

Tarver’s nerves quickly dissolved and were replaced with a quiet sense of confidence. Her relaxed demeanor allowed the crowd to settle in comfortably and become active participants in Tarver’s set. While the artist shared stories in between songs, various members of the crowd interjected with their responses and even asked questions. One question that stood out was one about Tarver’s age. Looking surprised, she responded with a playful scolding and laughed as she said, “I’m older than you’d think”. 

Though her career is already full of major milestones and years of success, Katelyn Tarver shows no signs of stopping. Following the massive success of “You Don’t Know”, which has amassed over 57 million streams, Tarver released a new album on November 12.  Listen to her album, Subject To Change, here. 

Katelyn Tarver is currently completing a short run of headline tour dates and will be opening for JOHNNYSWIM on his spring 2022 tour. Find tickets and dates for all of Tarver’s tour dates here. 

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Concert Photography Reviews

Jeremy Zucker and Babygirl

Jeremy Zucker returned to New York City for the first time since moving to L.A. on Thursday, November 18. Performing at Terminal 5, the artist was supported by the fast-rising Toronto-based pop punk band, Babygirl.

Describing their music as “pop songs with sad guitars”, Babygirl has quickly amassed a dedicated following. With a pocket of enthusiastic fans packed into the front of the crowd, the band played singles such as “Easy” and “Million Dollar Bed” from their latest EP, Losers Weepers. Their fans sang back every word without missing a beat, singing particularly loudly for Babygirl’s 2018 hit, “I Wish I Never Met You”. In between songs, the crowd professed their love for the band and screamed in support. 

As the night progressed, the anticipation grew for the packed Terminal 5 crowd. Chants of “Jeremy! Jeremy! Jeremy!” began filling the room as Jeremy Zucker’s set time approached. As the lights dimmed and Zucker’s intro song rang out, deafening screams filled the air.

The New Jersey-born artist initially gained major traction within the music scene during his senior year of college in 2018. Torn between completing his degree and pursuing music full time, Zucker chose to finish off college and immediately went on tour upon graduating. It’s safe to say this choice has not held the artist back whatsoever — since that time, he’s amassed an incredible 5.3 million global streams and sold 3 million albums.

Unable to tour his 2020 album, Love Is Not Dying due to the global pandemic, and releasing a new album, Crusher in 2021, Zucker performed a carefully curated mix of the two albums with other singles interspersed. Starting with “we’re fucked, it’s fine” off of Love Is Not Dying, Zucker managed to contain the wildly enthusiastic crowd during the opening number. Zucker then transitioned into “Therapist” off of Crusher — the more upbeat song perfectly matched the audience’s excitement and allowed the artist to showcase some of his dance moves. Though Zucker faced sound issues as the set progressed, he did not skip a beat and continued on.  

Towards the end of the night, Zucker took a break to call out the fact that he grew up right across the pond from New York City. Pointing to the second level, he gushed that his family and close friends were all in attendance, making the night extra special for him. One of the close friends was fellow musician, Chelsea Cutler, who came out to perform “you were good to me” off of their joint EP, Brent. 

It’s safe to say the audience thoroughly enjoyed the night, as almost each and every face was lit up with a smile as the crowd dispersed from the venue. 

Photos and article by Ana Medvedeva

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Concert Photography

JAWNY at Music Hall of Williamsburg

Performing at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on November 10th, JAWNY walked onto the stage with a cheeky smile as Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me” blasted. The song was one of the many mid-2000’s hits that the artist played before his set — all of which the crowd sang along to in unison.

As Swift’s song ended and JAWNY’s time began, he played the opening notes of “Take it Back” before abruptly stopping. A crew member had gotten his attention because an audience member felt unwell and needed a medic. The entire room instantly tensed up — just days before the show, the tragic events at the Astroworld festival had transpired, leaving the concert world in a state of shock and grief. Unlike artists at Astroworld, JAWNY instantly quieted the crowd, made sure the audience member was getting help, and even gave her one of his water bottles.

The crowd cheered as the artist threw a bit of shade,

“This is what we do when someone isn’t feeling good…we stop…the…show” he emphasized.

Despite being visibly shaken up after the incident and having rolled his ankle at the Oakland stop of the tour, the artist put on a stellar performance filled with energy. 

JAWNY interspersed humorous stories in between performing hits such as “Honeypie”, “4Tounce”, and “For Abby”. Known for his witty storytelling, the artist shared that he constantly runs over his set time because he rambles on for too long, and sassily remarked,

“I always go over time and get in trouble with the venue…so I’ll shut the fuck up and play.”

Ironically, the artist ended up performing a multi-song encore for the crowd, though we trust that he kept his word and didn’t go over time. 

JAWNY released his latest project, The Story of Hugo, in July of this year. Listen to the project here.

Article and photos by Ana Medvedeva.

Categories
Concert Photography

Adam Melchor // Concert Photos

Adam Melchor returned to his native tri-state area to perform at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on Friday, November 5. 

With his family in the crowd, the artist filled the night with special memories for everyone in attendance. Melchor began the night somewhat nervously divulging the stories behind his songs and expressing his immense gratitude to the crowd.

As the night progressed, Melchor’s nerves settled, allowing him to get more personal. Prior to playing the song “Jewel”, he shared a story about the moment his sister said that she saw herself being with her boyfriend (now husband) forever, who were both in attendance. He found the moment so sweet that he had decided to write a song about it.

He then continued on with a different story, this time about his friend/song writing partner. The friend’s neighbor had just gotten a “broken rooster”, who was cawing at all hours of the day. When the two met up for a songwriting session, Melchor wanted to focus on the sweet moment with his sister. As the session progressed, they got stuck on a verse. After spitballing ideas for awhile, they exchanged glances and Melchor said,

“So the second verse is going to be about the rooster huh…”

As he performed the song, the crowd collectively laughed as Melchor sang the verse that goes,

“There’s a rooster in the yard behind us

Crowing at all hours of the day

He must be blind but

He only has to get it right just once

Like I got it right with you

‘Cause you’re my jewel”

Rounding out the family affair was his dad joining Melchor and his band on stage to perform “Real Estate”. Melchor shared that when he was growing up his first exposure to music was at his friends’ houses. His dad would often pick him up and ask everyone about their afternoon. When Melchor shared that they had been playing music, his dad picked up the guitar and casually whipped out a few licks, leaving the young Melchor and all of his friends in absolute astonishment. 

You can listen to Adam Melchor’s debut album, Melchor Lullaby Hotline Vol. 1, here. 

Photos by Ana Medvedeva

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Concert Photography

Christian Leave // Concert Photos

Christian Leave warmed up the crowd for beabadobee at Webster Hall on Thursday, November 6. 

At just 21 years old, the critically-acclaimed artist has collected over 6 million total streams and has become a mainstay on some of Spotify’s most popular playlists, such as Lorem, Indie Pop, and The New Alt.

His popularity was highlighted the moment Leave and his band ran onto the stage. The large crowd began enthusiastically cheering and jumping with such voracity that the floors of Webster Hall shook beneath them. 

Surprisingly, this energy did not overwhelm Leave, who performed the majority of his set with a cool and calm demeanor. We look forward to watching the young artist continue to grow and creatively evolve in the coming years. In the meantime, listen to his latest EP Days Like Lost Dogs here. 

Photos by Ana Medvedeva

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Concert Photography

Elah Hale at The Bowery Ballroom

Elah Hale opened for Lewis Del Mar at The Bowery Ballroom on Thursday, October 7th. The easygoing artist approached her performance just as she does her music — with pure authenticity. 

Raised in New York City, Hale had several friends and family present at the show. The artist coyly smiled as she mentioned that she can’t tell the stories she usually tells during her set as a result. 

“I’m 22 now, mom and dad, I’m going to drink!” she laughed. 

Hale instead chose to tell wholesome stories to preface her songs. One particular story that stood out was about a fan named Sarah, who had reached out to Hale via Instagram DM’s. Sarah expressed how a certain song was critical to helping her get through a tough time, which touched Hale. As she was finishing up the story, Hale pointed to a section of the crowd and called out to Sarah to say hi. Members of the crowd rushed to yell hi to Sarah as well, making an already important moment all the more memorable to the fan. 

Elah Hale is set to release new music in the near future. In the meantime, listen to her latest single, Foolish here.

Photos by Ana Medvedeva
Categories
Concert Photography

María Isabel at Baby’s All Right

As the beginning notes of “The 1” rang out, the crowd at Baby’s All Right eagerly whipped out their phones to record María Isabel’s entrance. The New York City native couldn’t contain her excitement at selling out two hometown shows. 

“You guys have no idea how happy I am to be here, I love you all so much,” she gushed. 

The crowd laughed and began shouting how much they loved Isabel, leading to a back and forth exchange of “I love you” between Isabel and the crowd that lasted about 30 seconds. Isabel carried on with her set, performing “Stuck in the Sky”, “Where Does the Love Go?”, and “De Na’” amongst other fan favorites. 

Easily the highlight of the night, Isabel took a break from her discography and excitedly led the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday” to her brother JJ, who turned 21 that night. 

Photos and article by Ana Medvedeva.