While it might not be easy being the only rock act on a traditionally rap and R&B label like Top Dawg Entertainment, the enthusiastic crowd at The Roxy last Thursday night should put any worries the TDE execs have at ease, as Alemeda has that *it* factor that foretells a big and bright things to come.
Only 26, Alemeda has spent the last five years as a music-making machine, dropping a few EPs (including the recent But What the Hell Do I Know last year) and a tidal wave of singles. Coming onto the stage last Thursday, the artist seemed surprised to see such a packed house, commenting that her last L.A. show a year before at the Moroccan Lounge was a smaller room, and she couldn’t believe so many folks had come out for this one.
Most importantly for a young star like Alemeda, these weren’t all fresh faces. Many in the audience had been at the show a year before (she recognized some of them), and as she played “1-800-F**K-YOU” a good part of the audience already knew all the words and could sing them right back at the artist. The audience were even louder on “I Hate Your Face”, and enjoyed the macabre kiss-off “I Already Dug Your Grave” as much as Alemeda enjoyed singing it.
There’s a grounded, relatable quality to Alemeda, as she gave the backgrounds of her songs and admitted that she was still figuring herself out. She’s built a bridge with her fans, which is key in today’s social media-forward environment. Another nice touch was when she sent out two disposable cameras into the audience for fans to use and return to her for her latest tour scrapbook.
As far as the songs go, Alemeda is definitely bringing together the worlds of two of her idols: SZA and Hayley Williams. Her vocals and delivery often a reminiscent of the former; lyrics delivered with an R&B lilt and attitude-driven personality, while backed by energized pop-punk and alt rock riffs. And the tracks all come with hooks that she makes sound so easy. “Chameleon” (her collab with Rachel Chinouriri) plays off the lyrics of the classic Culture Club song for a fresh, alt pop jam.
Even during her “sad song block”, playing “I’m Over It”, “Losing Myself” and “Stupid Little Bitch”, she held the audience’s attention with her presence and storytelling. Following this, she allowed the audience to choose the next songs to be played, having them hold up their phones with their requests. This led to fun bops like “Post Nut Clarity” and “Boy of the Month”.
Alemeda finished her set with the insanely-catchy Doechii collab “Beat a B!tch Up” (which should be WAY bigger than it is), her break-out viral single “Gonna Bleach My Eyebrows”, and her latest track, the hype-infused “Broken Record”. She left the stage while the band continued to rock on until the curtains closed. The show was over. I had fun. The audience had fun. And Alemeda’s going to continue to gain followers and play larger venues as word of mouth spreads.
Check out her latest EP here, and follow her on Instagram to find out when she’s next on tour.
The Indy Review 