LOS ANGELES, CA — Australian-born Amy Shark has had a wild year. The singer-songwriter and pop artist released her debut record Love Monster in July of this year — the highly-anticipated follow-up to her 2016 breakout single “Adore,” which had gained her national attention with regular airplay on Australia’s Triple J radio.
That single, which transformed Shark’s career (who was ready to give up altogether), gave her the newfound attention and platform for listeners worldwide to soon fall in love with her unique take on dark pop-infused hits on love, loss and vulnerability.
During her Los Angeles date headlining the El Rey Theatre on October 2, she teased rumors saying she was going to move out here by saying, “LA, I feel the love. I’ll see you again very soon.” Since then, Shark has sold out dates on her Love Monster Tour across Australia, Europe and is now closing off her North America tour.
Shark never expected the success of “Adore.” When the song broke out, she became the talk of major label bidding wars until she ultimately went with Wonderlick Entertainment of Sony Music Australia late 2016. By the time 2017 came around, her influence only got stronger: she won Artist of the Year and Song of the Year at the 2017 Gold Coast Music Awards in Australia, released her debut Night Thinker EP with the single “Weekends,” which peaked at number on Australia’s ARIA Charts, and even made it to the U.S. with performances on The Late Late Show with James Corden and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
It was clear that 2018 was only going to be even greater for her, with the release of Love Monster, a packed tour across the world, and her single “Adore” even being certified 4x Platinum just recently.
When Amy Shark showed up on Tuesday night to Los Angeles, her production and live performance energy was just stunning. For a midweek crowd and an artist who has been playing sold-out stadium shows across Australia, the intimacy of the room was warm and welcoming as Shark’s natural energy and joy of performing was felt.
Her charisma and confidence as a performer isn’t anything cocky or arrogant, but rather warm, respected and well-deserved. Shark, who had her run of playing in all-girl punk bands before, seems to be riding right in her element (adorned in her love of Adidas, of course). Backed by only a drummer and a bass guitarist who also lends himself to the keys, Shark is absolutely engaging. Her songs and vocals sound fuller, if not better, live. And just from experiencing her live show, you can tell we’re all on to something huge.
Shark’s music could best be described as electronic-pop meets rock with an affinity for punk music. Her music oozes with cool, as Love Monster is a strong collection of raw, powerful and honest songs that feel straight out of a diary. With cool electronic beats, guitar-driven tracks and strong lyrics that capture the best and worst of times in a relationship, Shark’s music feels like the kind of godsend girls today might need.
“It’s important for me to not hold back, and I just want to write good songs, stories that can also help people” – Amy Shark (Tone Deaf)
Love Monster, which Shark describes as the bittersweet balance of love, romance and pain, is a confidently emotional album that Shark refuses to hold back in.
In “Middle Of The Night,” a song laced in high-analog electronics to deep hip-hop beats and pianos, Shark details the winding messiness of getting over a lover, saying “I want you back all the time / I think about you all the time” to telling herself “F**k my life / F**k my life” in a song that is heartbreaking at its core yet insanely listenable and relatable.
Introducing songs like “Mess Her Up” about having a moment and conversation with a friend that might break their friendship, to the bittersweet sadness of a relationship that had failed and wishing the world to “Leave Us Alone,” Shark’s music is painfully honest (“You gave me something to do / I don’t know who I am / I’m not fun anymore / Why is everyone here / Wish they would leave us alone,” Shark sings).
Shark’s latest single “All Loved Up,” an 80s-inspired track with electronic instrumentation and a melodic chorus, inspired a lot of crowd sing-alongs. Her collaborative track “Psycho” with Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 also proved to be a favorite, as Shark gently let the crowd down that Hoppus couldn’t be there with her onstage, but that she’d love if the crowd sang along with her.
Shark’s songs navigate through love, loss and heartbreak — and through the lens of being a happily-married 32-year-old artist, Shark’s music and personality feels mature (despite the heart-wrenching tunes) and very-much needed.
In a world where a lot of pop music starts to sound the same — infused with the same electronic beats, familiar rhythms and choruses — Shark manages to set herself apart. An honest musician not afraid to be vulnerable, dark and raw in her music (her love of sharks and the darkness they may portray may have inspired her stage name), Shark is an artist I genuinely believe in and adore. Her music makes me feel like I’m back in high school listening to pop-punk music, getting very emotional from diary-like lyrics or bobbing along to her cool hip-hop and electronic beats.
Shark’s success is not to go unnoticed: her music is immensely vulnerable and honest and almost serves as a love letter to her youth. With sounds infused in pop, electronics, hip-hop and punk, Love Monster is a lovely modern and edgy alternative-pop collection which showcases Shark’s power in being one-hundred percent authentic, real, vulnerable and herself — and that continues to win hearts all over the world.
As Shark took to the mic or picked up her acoustic or electric guitar throughout the hour-long set, there was nothing but love left on the stage. Fans dug her live performance and hearing her talk seamlessly about each of the songs off her record. We even loved the “Teenage Dirtbag” she admitted she was, an homage to the Wheatus song she covered.
We can’t wait to see you back, Amy.
Follow Amy Shark on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
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LIVE CLIPS
