Many recall Kacy Hill’s arrival onto the scene with her feature on Travis Scott’s “90210,” and collaborations with the likes of Kanye West. But to minimize her talent to those past ideas is simply in bad taste. She’s come miles away, and her show in Downtown LA proved that.
I was more than ecstatic to see opener John Carroll Kirby, having missed his Zebulon monthly residencies. The show began quick, with fans packed into the bar until the doors opened to the main room. As many walked to the front of the stage, Kirby was already walking out with not much of the audience realizing how talented he was. However, I chatted with a fan who knew all about Kirby’s production and music so it was refreshing to have this maestro be appreciated, not that Kirby would care too much. I fixated on his shoes, watching them tab and bounce as Kirby lost his way in his performance, gazing at times at his keys, as if he was a chemist tinkering with new chemicals and compounds. It was almost tough to capture anything on camera due to him getting my attention where I didn’t want to look through the lens and would rather look with my eyes. Although short, it was enough for me and I learned my lesson the hard way that I will be in attendance at his next show but I’m sure by that point, he will be playing larger shows as opposed to the club venues.
Kacy Hill also came on quickly, as if she was rushed, but she shrugged it off. “It’s Sunday, a school night. Get to bed,” she joked. From her charm and charism, she blended the likes of innocence and maturity. She began with Simple, Sweet, and Smiling cut “I Couldn’t Wait” and the title track of the same name. After those tracks, she made small talk with the audience, saying “hi guys” which prompted a slightly morbid story of how her grandma made a Facebook a few weeks before she passed and her first post was “hi guys.” This generated awkward laughter from the crowd but Hill smiled and laughed, showing that side of young naiveness, but make no mistake, Hill is anything but.
Many of the songs came from her latest LPs, including last year’s Is It Selfish If We Talk About Me Again. That album reinvigorated many fans’ love of Hill since it was the first new music since 2017. Both that and this year’s record deal with heavy issues, most notable anxiety which Hill pointed out during her performance. “Does anyone have mommy or daddy issues?” When the crowd replied “yes,” she stated “well that sucks, sucks for you,” to much laughter. These topics are often used to fuel great music, which is most likely why all these fans sold out the Moroccan for Hill, but it wasn’t this pity party. There was a sense of empowerment, with Hill’s voice and dancing being so calculated as if she took these messy situations and put them in their respective places. The highlight of the show was when she performed “Everybody’s Mother” and got the crowd to reluctantly participate in the chorus. More power to her.
PS: Check out our gallery of photos from the performance!