Nilüfer Yanya at Brooklyn Steel
BY ALYSSA GOLDBERGIt’s rare for a day in your life to be so perfectly outlined –– what you were wearing, who you were with, the ledge you sat on waiting for them to arrive, the conversations you had and the exact words you remember. But the day I first listened to Nilüfer Yanya has remained etched in my mind.
On that day, in a desperate attempt to prolong goodbyes, I asked a friend for an album recommendation. Yanya’s third album, PAINLESS, had just been released two weeks prior, and the suggestion slipped off their tongue with ease.
I walked home, slid into bed, listened to the album front to back and finally let myself have a proper cry. But Yanya’s music isn’t necessarily “sad.” Rather, her voice is grounding, immersive and utterly unique.
Coming off the release of her latest album, My Method Actor, the British musician finally made her way to Brooklyn Steel on Tuesday evening for a highly anticipated stop on an expansive world tour.
Blending songs from her four albums into the setlist, she kept fans on their toes and engaged throughout the experience, even without accompanying visuals. Her voice filled the venue effortlessly, sustaining attention on its own. Within her five-person band, the keyboardist also adorned a saxophone, enhancing the live set with soothing melodies. Yanya was joined by openers Eliza McLamb and Lutalo, both of whom certainly left the show with newfound fans. The North American leg of her tour closes in Los Angeles on October 24 before heading to Europe late November.
