Mr Viral
A polished, coming-of-age moment…
19 · 10 · 2024
2024 is the year that Shae Universe introduced herself as a global star of the R&B space. On October 11th she gathered her hometown fans at the Islington Assembly Hall for the London leg of her UK tour. And the night of celebration couldn’t have arrived at a more apt time – the deluxe version of her stunning debut album, Love’s Letter, was released a week before.
But Shae started her set with some early gems and the deep cuts that her longest-standing fans all cherish. ‘No Stallin’’ and ‘Black Panther’ set the tone for the night, and Shae even paid homage to her own practice of covering songs on social media by giving an acoustic rendition of Kanye’s ‘Ultralight Beam’. With any newer fans now accustomed to her back-catalogue, Shae then shared her spotlight by bringing out Kali Claire for them to their duet ‘Wish You Wouldn’t’. Shae herself has broken through the glass ceiling that caps the growth of acts in UK R&B, and it’s telling of her aims for her peers to achieve the same by sharing her stage on the night.
We then rolled onto Shae’s ‘Unorthodox’ era – the five piece band behind her blended seamlessly with the skittering hi-hats of ‘Wicked Ways’ and ‘You Lose’. She’s struck with a bolt of energy as she enters the rapped verse of the latter track, the pleats of her skirt waving around as she commands the stage. She might not be a seasoned performer but Shae is a polished one – her sung vocals are just as rich and just as stunning as they are on record.
This couldn’t be any clearer as we enter the Love’s Letter section of the night. The tenderly written, stirringly sung tracks show Shae’s full range perfectly. After taking a break from the music to explain the real-life happenings from which album standout ‘LOML’ was made, she shares an intimate moment with the crowd; she climbs off the stage to enter the crowd as her fans serenade her with the lyrics. She’d go on to return the favour though, transitioning from a flawless delivery of ‘Passenger Princess’ into a brief cover of ‘Superstar’ by using Usher’s iconic falsetto riff.
The crowd were expecting an A-grade show, and they received it in what was a magical night of gratitude and celebration.
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Words: Dwayne Wilks
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