LOS ANGELES, CA- 2017 was a pretty good year for K.Flay. Once a critical darling of the NorCal, underground hip-hop scene, she released her first major-label album “Every Where Is Somewhere” in early 2017, which subsequently garnered mass appeal with her uniquely confessional rock/hip-hop musicality. It even snagging a pair of Grammy nominations (Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical and Best Rock Song for “Blood In The Cut”).
I saw her perform at the El Rey just before her album was released, and even then I had a sense that she, and her music, would be connecting with the masses. While she spits lyrics with a fierce intensity, there was also an emotional component to her delivery that really gives the audience some insight into her being. To say that she pours every ounce of her soul out onto the stage as she performs would be an understatement. Forget about blood in the cut … she wears her heart on her sleeve, and the blood spills all over the stage.
It’s the honesty in her music and the visceral nature of her performance that really connects with the audience. This young woman speaks her truth and shares her story, and we, the audience, can’t help but be engaged by the narrative. And the fact that she carries a humble aura about her, only makes her that much more relatable.
As she ran, danced and sang across the entire width of the stage, she simultaneously engaged members of the audience, staring directly into the fan’s eyes as she sang and as they sang the lyrics back to her. When K.Flay performs, she exhibits no fear and has no inhibitions whatsoever. That display of emotional rawness is powerful and a true indicator of inner strength.
I scanned the audience as they sang along to the music, and I noticed perhaps the youngest attendee perched on the shoulders of her father. She couldn’t have been more than 10 or 11 years old, but there she was moving her arms rhythmically to the music and singing more lyrics than 90 percent of those double her age around her. K.Flay even took a moment to give the young girl some props towards the show’s end, and by the look on the little girl’s face, I could tell that that would be a long-lasting memory for her.
Once the show ended, and I exited the venue, I saw the young girl and her parents waiting outside to see if K.Flay would pop out. I chat with the family for a moment, and asked the little girl what she liked about K.Flay, and, to the best of my recollection, she said that it was because, “She’s so strong.” I loved that answer, not only because I agreed with the sentiment, but also because it heartened me to know that this little girl appreciated the same kind of magic that I find so amazing about K.Flay.
Follow K.Flay on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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LIVE CLIPS
K. Flay at The Fonda 1/12/18. Thoughts and photos coming soon to @BlurredCulture. pic.twitter.com/TiRHjmRpki
— Derrick K. Lee (@methodman13) January 25, 2018
K. Flay at The Fonda 1/12/18. Thoughts and photos coming soon to @BlurredCulture. pic.twitter.com/Ursgtrn4mQ
— Derrick K. Lee (@methodman13) January 25, 2018
K. Flay at The Fonda 1/12/18. Thoughts and photos coming soon to @BlurredCulture. pic.twitter.com/SZJ0PjeM01
— Derrick K. Lee (@methodman13) January 25, 2018
K. Flay at The Fonda 1/12/18. Thoughts and photos coming soon to @BlurredCulture. pic.twitter.com/ALUqWedG2G
— Derrick K. Lee (@methodman13) January 25, 2018
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