After magazine deadline day, there aren’t many things that can entice me away from a bottle of cheap sauvignon and my Netflix, but the notion of getting to see Island’s rising star Kiesza for a sold-out show at the Sunset Strip’s beloved Roxy had me downright giddy.
Let me get one thing straight; this girl will be huge. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more enthusiastic, revved up crowd cheer someone’s name louder than I did last night.
Notable attendees included Scooter Braun, David Foster, Perez Hilton and Republic‘s Artie Gentile and Rob Harvey, who were more than happy to pour ample amounts of tequila down the throats of multiple radio tastemakers, including KIIS L.A.’s Sisanie, Power 106‘s Nick Ferrer and Reflex, WestwoodOne‘s Jason Bowers. Her ‘80s-esque, electro-pop dance sound, drizzled with elements of disco and hip-hop, is undeniably effervescent and eager to make you fall head-over-heels before gettin’ back up and bustin’ a move.
Her stage presence is unmatched, with synchronized choreography, vogue-ing and a genuine desire to please her audience. At a point of technical difficulties with her piano, instead of scurrying off stage, she rose to the occasion, exclaiming that she’d be a one-woman show, before breaking into double-jointed contortions and flipping into a handstand and walking around the stage upside down.
Adored songs of the night included her smash single, “Hideaway,” currently #6 Shazam U.S. (#5 U.K.) and the #2 Dance track at iTunes with 92m+ views on the music video. Other faves included the impassioned “Giant in My Heart,” as well as covers of Haddaway’s “What Is Love” and Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah,” which started out a as a typical nostalgic cover before she threw a beat in and hit it with a hip-hop flair. The 25-year-old, real-life wonder woman spent her early teens as a trained ballerina before becoming a tall-ship sailor with the Navy, where she taught herself guitar. It was then that she was recognized for her shooting skills, as the Army tried to recruit her to train as a sniper. Conflicted, she sailed to Hawaii and later entered the Miss Universe Canada pageant. Eventually, she decided to pursue a career in music, bringing us soulful melodies and becoming a viral sensation.
She’s currently a VEVO Lift artist for August/September, and her debut EP Hideaway is available now.
