On Sept.15, alternative R&B and electronic soloist Kelela headlined at Riverside’s Emo’s in support of her third studio album new avatar. Arriving at the venue, I noticed the crowd emulating Kelela’s club kid cool, a sea of leather, grommets, silver bangles, and arm cuffs streaming through security. The empty stage was already filled with smoke, the lights intermittently flashing, white, lavender, deep blue, violet.
Opener KeiyaA performed tracks off hooke’s law, her second studio album released last October. The avant-R&B, nu-soul, and experimental electronic sounds dovetailed perfectly with what Kelela fans were craving for the night.
Kelela’s performance was anchored by songs off new avatar, including “against me,” “crystalize,” “the bridge,” “outta time,” “don’t piss me off,” and “linknb,” though she also sprinkled in fan favorites from her 2015 debut EP Hallucinogen, such as the hit single “Rewind” along with “A Message” and “All the Way Down”. Throughout the night, I was struck by her ability to command the crowd—attendees danced themselves clean to the harsh sub-bass, distorted electric riffs, and heavy fuzz, and just as quickly stilled when her airy, piercing falsetto inscribed itself in the air.
Kelela also highlighted her long-standing history with Austin, having headlined SXSW (back when it was “something real,” she said) for the first time in 2014 supporting her debut mixtape Cut 4 Me and in 2018 for her critically acclaimed debut album Take Me Apart. When asking for a show of hands from new fans, she also spoke about how touched she was that people could find their way to her music off a new album since she primarily aims to satisfy the original “constituents” of her music. It’s clear that she is an artist who cares deeply about the communities, places, and people she has met through music: When an audience member near barricade fainted, Kelela paused her set so Emo’s staff could transport the attendee out the venue in a wheelchair. Before resuming, Kelela instructed the crowd “Safety first, then sexiness.”
Kelela is also a consummate performer: she garnered cheers and adulation from the crowd after throwing off her leather jacket to reveal a leather bralette, shouting “I need some more wind!” to the stage crew. And as Kelela sang “if we meet again” for the encore without her backing band, I couldn’t help but think of the word “siren”. The crowd swayed together, everyone’s phone flashlights on, hypnotized by her smooth and crystalline voice. Stepping out from Emo’s into the clear night air, I couldn’t wait for Kelela to come back, imagining where she would take her deconstructed club sound next.