Our favorite music genre is some guy with a guitar.
Alexander23 played a wonderfully sold-out show at Webster Hall on November 19th. His fans were a mixed bag of different ages and backgrounds. After all, his music is for everyone, not one specific demographic of people. Throughout the night, he sang some of his top songs including “IDK You Yet” which rose to popularity as a TikTok trend last year.
That TikTok fame did wonders to grow Alexander23, but his previous supporting tours were also a major achievement. Previously, he’s toured with Lauv and Chelsea Cutler. Additionally, he was slated to support Lauv on the ~how i’m feeling world tour~ at select shows, but the dates had to be canceled due to concerns over the pandemic.
It seems like Alexander23 is the industry’s worst-kept secret. He’s performed alongside large and notable acts, grown a dedicated base of listeners (over 5 million on Spotify alone), and yet he’s the sort of artist that gives off the ‘if you know you know’ type energy in pop music.
However, once you know Alexander23 you are completely enthralled.
All around me, the crowd seemed to come together and show their true grievances, loves, and tribulations which isn’t shocking as Alexander’s backdrop was a bright neon heart reminding us all to embrace our emotions. Beside me a couple intertwined fingers, two best friends were jumping with the beat, and two sisters hugged, teary-eyed.
Trying to define a genre for Alexander is a tricky thing to do in a world where we’re constantly tearing down the walls that genre was constructed within. He’s not punk, but certainly has this rock influence. He’s definitely not pop, but has an underlying tone that could translate similarly to stars like Ed Sheeran. He’s certainly not indie, but could definitely wind up on an indie playlist. He’s an artist that can fit into a little bit of everywhere and nowhere all at once.
Ultimately, he wears his heart on his sleeve and dives deep into those emotional moments that not many can capture.
When an artist has a song blow-up on TikTok, it tends to feel like the whole show is just dragging slowly with dulled energy until everyone gets their social media tune, and then the energy skyrockets before falling again. Thankfully, it wasn’t like that for Alexander. Yeah, “IDK You Yet” was absolutely a defining moment of the show, but it wasn’t the only moment.
Fans at Webster Hall weren’t there to make their Instagram story look trendy, they were truly there to embrace a connection with a man and the music he poured his heart into. It was a rare sight to see in today’s faux-FOMO world. To be the musician to snap us out of that trance and make his fans feel truly immersed into the moment is not easy.
It takes someone exceptional.
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