Live: Shygirl in NYC
Three nights at Webster Hall in NYC show that people can’t get enough of 29-year-old South London artist Shygirl. While making music since 2016, Blane Muise has been taking over playlists with her 2022 debut album Nymph. With a dusky voice to die for, extraordinary production, and sexy lyricism, it’s no surprise this artist is taking the world by storm.
Shygirl has an innovative sound that’s evident on Nymph with its experimental sounds. Elements of dance, hip-hop, and hyperpop saturate the album, making “experimental pop” a label that’s both fitting and not nearly large enough to encompass all of the artist’s sides. Shygirl effortlessly swaps her sound, from rapping over fast beats to smoothly gliding vocals over a luscious backdrop of instrumentals.
Shygirl is anything but shy. If I had to describe her music in two words, it would be raunchy and empowering. On stage before a sold-out crowd in Webster Hall, Shygirl kicked off the night with the opening track from Nymph, “Woe”. “Angel” and her collab with Tinashe “Heaven” followed and had everybody singing along. Radiating confidence and elegance, Shygirl held her audience in a vice-like grip as she led them from singing the salacious and flirty "Coochie (a bedtime story)", to singing about falling for someone with “Firefly”.
The stage design was simple but incredibly effective. With a projector hitting the floor, a near-45 degree angled mirror caught reflections behind Shygirl. It was one of the most unique stage setups I have ever seen. The projections were stunning during "Heaven" when Shygirl appeared to stand in a tropical paradise. The result was her appearing to be in a different dimension.
"Shlut" is another song that transports and awes with its visuals. With Shygirl lying on the floor, the mirror reflected her when the lights went up. To the audience, the illusion made it look like she was floating. Leaning into the unique perspective, Shygirl performed and choreographed the entire song from the floor.
The audience lost themselves as they danced to the luscious and harmonious tracks. Knowing every word of every song, the crowd was loud. Vocals weren’t the only highlight. Being Easter, bunny ears adorned several heads scattered throughout the crowd. To my delight, one fan had a sign that read “Jesus rose 4 Nymph”. Gotta love a good sign pun.
Toward the end of the night, Shygirl had a bouquet of white roses and explained that usually, she receives flowers, but tonight the flowers were for the fans. From my position on the balcony, I watched as every hand in the audience went up as they vied for a rose. She tossed them out to the crowd, near and far, and people were jumping to catch them as they fell.
The last few songs of the night were “NIKE” (a personal favorite), “BB”, and “BDE”. Yes, that song is about exactly what you think it is. I was surprised when the night ended. It seemed like time had flown by. With two openers, there was no time for an encore and the night was well and truly over. Shygirl’s last night in NYC was one for the books.
Shygirl has established herself as a hypnotic and enthralling performer with seductive artistry that begs to be listened to. Do yourself a favor and lose yourself in Shygirl's tracks.
Listen to Shygirl here.
See Shygirl on tour here.
See photos from the show here.