Summer Walker’s music has the emotional intensity and entertaining melodrama of any reality television show based in her hometown of Atlanta. Her albums contain the too-real-to-be-true southern shade of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” and the romantic chaos of a “Love & Hip-Hop: Atlanta” scene. Walker’s messy croons of being a scorned woman make the perfect soundtrack for any breakup or minor relationship tiff. Her pain is too searing to avoid.
With the release of her latest project “Clear 2: Soft Life EP,” the R&B singer seems more focused on finding peace and embracing love than dealing with the constant drama. Ahead of the project’s debut last month, Walker said, “The first [’Clear’] was kind of sad. Like all my music’s sad, and I’m in a different space, so this one is for happy. All my ‘Clear’ projects are live, and it’s soul music. These are my favorite type of projects to make that I like to do — more than albums, ever because it’s my favorite type of music to make.”
Walker’s relatable lyrics on breakups and heartache are just as potent as when she’s singing about happier moments. But, throughout the 27-year-old’s budding career, that emotional fervor hasn’t always translated to a commanding stage presence. The singer, who has shared her struggles with social anxiety, has unfairly become the source of criticism for giving lackluster performances — or not giving anything at all. (In 2019, she canceled tour dates due to social anxiety.)
Credit: Getty Images for Interscope Reco
Credit: Getty Images for Interscope Reco
But during her first-ever “One Night Only” show at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre on Thursday, June 1, Summer Walker, the sultry and electrifying performer, came alive. In front of a sold-out crowd, she gave a roughly hour-long performance that felt like a trip to neo-soul heaven while showcasing the most tender aspects of her personality — proving that she’s exactly the type of performer her fans want and need.
Esteemed producer and songwriter Bryan-Michael Cox, who was recently named the senior vice president of A&R for the Atlanta-based label Love Renaissance (the label that includes Walker on its roster of artists), emceed the evening. Atlanta comedian Erica Duchess opened the show. Although having a comedian as the opening act for an R&B show seems like a baffling decision upon first glance, Duchess kept the crowd laughing. Maybe it isn’t such a bad idea after all.
Summer Walker graced the stage nearly an hour later in her most comfortable state — donning a white silk robe while sitting on a bed adorned with silk sheets. Performing with an orchestra, background singers and electrifying dancers on a stage adorned with candles and flowers, Walker welcomed the audience to her soothing, candy-coated world of intimate neo-soul. She opened her set with “New Type”, a Childish Gambino-assisted track from the new project (”I’m feeling on these silk sheets,” she croons while literally doing so onstage). Her intimacy grows deeper as she transitions to a bathtub to perform the fan-favorite “Wasted” from 2019′s first installment of the “Clear” series.
Credit: Getty Images for Interscope Reco
Credit: Getty Images for Interscope Reco
Walker’s set became even sweeter during a nod to the neo-soul heavyweights who came before her. Her performance of Erykah Badu’s 2007 single “Honey,” and Bilal’s classic “Soul Sista” proved that she’s not only the future of soul and R&B music, but she’s an avid student of it. The night reached a peak when Ari Lennox surprised fans to perform her and Walker’s 2021 collab “Unloyal,” demonstrating an infectious chemistry and vocal prowess that proved why the pair are among the leaders of contemporary R&B.
Credit: Getty Images for Interscope Reco
Credit: Getty Images for Interscope Reco
Summer Walker’s concert Thursday night wasn’t just an exclusive moment for fans in the city that raised her, but it was a testament to how much she’s grown as a singer and a performer who’s quickly aced R&B superstardom.
Throughout the 16-track set, Walker fed off the tantalizing energy of the musicians, delivered sexy choreography with her background dancers (thanks to her creative director, Teyana Taylor) and even stunned the crowd while wearing a sparkly gold veil during a bluesy rendition of “Riot” that felt as spiritual and serene as Sunday praise and worship service. The doors of Summer Walker’s church for the heartbroken and the hopeful were open. And the audience fearlessly entered.
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