Concerts Create a Musician Crush

“What are you doing?”

“Nothing.”

“Wanna go to a show tonight?”

That’s basically a love language for those who treat venues like places of worship; congregating in a space with like-minded people, singing songs, and sometimes the artists speak as if they’re delivering a sermon about the meanings behind the words everyone gathered to hear. So when someone asks me, and I’m for it, I will say yes – and that’s what happened one day a handful of years ago when a text invite turned into a night discovering Jessie Reyez.

I’d never heard of Jessie Reyez, but I never like to turn down the opportunity to see something new and hang out with a friend. It’s always a bit awkward going to see someone you don’t know though, right? You’re just stuck there in a sea of people who understand the music then and there, and aren’t too preoccupied with the idea that people are looking at you…That’s how I felt, at first. Once Jessie Reyez appeared, I was instantly invested in what lay ahead for the night.

She has a prowess about her, a magnetism that’s apparent right out of the gate. Also, to go back to the not knowing the words thing, when an artist that you’ve never heard of can make you actually listen and become engulfed in what they’re saying without you knowing what’s around the corner – that’s talent. And that’s what Jessie Reyez did to me that night, especially with what I assumed was her last song because it’s that song. That song that when you hear it, you either disregard or become obsessed; “Figures.” It was the cherry on top of an already impactful night. That night made me a fan. However, that’s not the only type of musician crush that can form via a performer.

Host of Women Who Sarcast and the head of Women Who Podcast Magazine, Kathy Barron, came through to talk about a musician she also found riveting after a performance of a ‘90s pioneer, a true Lilith Fair icon. We’ll talk more about that later though…