Jessie Reyez recently performed at History in Toronto in front of a sold out crowd. Here’s SHIFTER’s Jessie Reyez concert review.
Earlier this week, Toronto native, Jessie Reyez performed in front of a sold out hometown crowd at History. The show was the latest stop on her Yessie Tour which saw her play cities across North America before resuming in Europe in January.
It was a night of R&B as fellow Toronto native Leila Dey, who played in the Do You Part Celebrity Basketball Game the night before, opened the show. Dey, who is on her first tour with recent shows in Montreal and Boston, brought a mix of soulful R&B and Caribbean vibes as she displayed her Jamaican heritage with some fun dance moves. She ended her set by giving out flowers to the audience who returned the love throughout her performance.
Then New Jersey native, Nija, took to the stage bringing with her lots of energy, sex appeal, and style. Having written for some of the biggest artists in music, including Drake, Beyonce, Kehlani, and Summer Walker, Nija is now launching out as an artist with this being her first tour.
Nominated for Songwriter of the Year at the upcoming Grammys, she also treated fans to a few of the songs she wrote, including Drake and Chris Brown’s “No Guidance”. It was a nice Toronto nod for those in attendance.
Clearly an artist to watch, she even took us to Jersey with high energy dance moves from back home.
Then came the moment the crowd was waiting for. From the merch line to the buzz in the crowd, you could feel the connection Jessie Reyez built with her fans before the show even started.
She ventured through her catalogue with raw emotion and ecstasy, at times connecting with fans and at times almost in her own world as she felt the lyrics she penned.
True to the name of the tour, Reyez performed a number of songs off her latest project Yessie, including “Break Me Down”, “Mutual Friend”, and “Only One”, before going back to songs like “Apple Juice” and “Sola” off her 2018 release Being Human In Public, and “Coffin” off of her 2020 release Before Love Came To Kill Us.
Overall, Jessie Reyez is a top-tier performer, but it doesn’t come by excessive effort. Her showmanship is rooted in her authenticity and her ability to connect with people, whether she’s telling a relatable story, getting on a first name basis with a fan, or accepting a bra thrown onto the stage. In a time of artificial, label manufactured careers, Reyez is simply the real deal and someone Canada should be proud of.
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