Over the last year, Jessie Reyez, a rising artist. has been making a name for herself. In August of 2018, she had one of her biggest breaks as she was featured on two of the songs on Eminem’s “Kamikaze” album. Currently, she is on tour for her second album, the “Being Human in Public” tour.
On October 27, 2018, I attended Jessie Reyez’s concert at Cervantes Theater in Denver, Colorado. I’ve been following Jessie Reyez for almost a year, and I was ecstatic to see my favorite female artist perform live.
During the opening act of the concert, the concert took an odd turn. The air conditioning was nearly non-existent, and three people passed out during the opening act. After being to Cervante’s Theater for the first time, I can safely say it is the stuffiest concert venue I have ever been to. Nevertheless, Reyez’s performance was not stunted by the venue’s faults.
About two hours after the doors had opened for the concert, Jessie Reyez took the stage. She played all the songs off of her newest album, a cover of “One Kiss” by Calvin Harris (the first hit song she ever wrote), and multiple songs from her debut album, “Kiddo.”
The highlight of this concert was the introduction: the performance of the song “Gatekeeper.” I had heard the song before, but I had never heard the backstory of the song before. Reyez wrote this song off an experience that nearly crushed the dreams she’d been carrying since she was a little girl.
Years ago when she was trying to start up her career as a performer, Reyez had the opportunity to meet with a producer (who she still refuses to name) who was a big deal in the music industry. She was ecstatic to show off her talent and begin making connections in the entertainment world. The producer had other plans in mind. He told Jessie Reyez if she wanted to make a name for herself in the music industry, she would have to compromise her morals and body for a deal with any record label or producer.
After explaining the background to the song “Gatekeeper,” Jessie Reyez gave one of the most passionate, inspiring performances that I am still in awe of. I, along with the friends I was with, got the chills during this song.
Jessie Reyez ended the concert with my personal favorite song by her called “Figures.” She began playing the acoustic version of the song before switching over to the studio version of it. The song “Figures” is Reyez’s most popular solo songs, being streamed over fifty-million times on Spotify.
Jessie Reyez’s career has had its most substantial year of success during 2018. Reyez’s concert was absolutely astonishing and personal to her music. As her music continues to rise, I cannot wait to continue to support her in bigger and better venues in the future.
