JESSIA’s Be Here Now Show - A Moment We’ll Never Get Back
by Calli Ferguson
On November 4th, Canadian pop singer/songwriter, JESSIA brought something simple but so necessary to the stage at Baby’s All Right: a sense of presence.
The artist made a stop through the Brooklyn venue on her headlining tour for Be Here Now. The audience was made up of devoted fans– like, know every word to every song fans– happily dancing together throughout the set.
In an age where artists gain popularity through our 2D screens, it’s always interesting to see how their work translates to a live space. Though JESSIA won most of her fans over in the intimate space of the front seat of her car, when she took the stage in Brooklyn (warmed up by an energetic introduction from her band), it was clear she had a voice and presence that could fill much larger rooms.
There is a full, pureness to JESSIA’s vocals that was deliciously satisfying in a live space. (Seriously– I wrote down “Haley Williams/P!NK-y?” in my notes…). Watching her set was comfortable because performing seemed second nature– a confidence which was all the more impressive when considering this was the artist’s first headlining tour.
photo by Chase Hanssen
She took her audience on a ride through the many energies and emotions of her discography to date. From her most popular to unreleased tracks, and a cover of Miley Cyrus’s “The Climb” that made you remember just how awesome that song is, JESSIA showed off impressive range and kept fans in the palm of her hands through reflective, relatable, at times almost conversational songwriting.
One of the unreleased tracks was inspired by a trending “don’t cry” sound on TikTok, and JESSIA described it as, “putting a little bit of fun on some breakdowns,” which honestly was a mood present in the listening experience of the evening all together. The track, “I’m Not Gonna Cry”, comes out this Friday, December 13th, by the way… just in case that resonates. ;)
Towards the end of the set, introducing her viral single “I’m Not Pretty,” JESSIA shared, “This song completely changed my life.” And watching her perform it for fans who were so elated to see the song in front of their eyes was one of those pinch-me, storybook moments. Of course, you have this extremely talented vocalist with a natural, confident stage presence. But you never know what’s gonna do it– what playful song or little moment can change everything.
@jessiamusic TikTok is too beautiful 😂 #Welcome2021 #RareAesthetic #belly #🍑 #pretty #fun #fyp #neverseentwoprettybestfriends #wtf #bop #trash #newyear #new ♬ original sound - JESSIA
That reflection serendipitously led us into the evening’s closer: the tour’s title track, “Be Here Now”. With lyrics that probably strike a chord in each of us like “I’m not complaining I’m just a bit unsure about/ who I am where I stand, when does my part fit in…” the song continuously loops back to moments of stillness. We breathe.
“Look around. This moment is never gonna happen again,” the artist tells us before that final performance that night.
And I’m glad I did. I’m glad I was there for it– really there. It was a moment in time I will pocket for when I need a reminder to experience, well… a new moment in time.
