I forget how long ago it was now, but my friend told me she really liked some songs from this new artist named Qveen Herby. My first thought was that is a strange name, but then when I saw the little thumbnail, I thought, “I’m pretty sure that’s the lady from Karmin!” And it turns out that I was right!
It also turns out that she hasn’t been back to the Cleveland area since her Karmin days, so it was really cool to be able to attend the show last night. I did get the chance to see her at Lollapalooza a couple of years ago, but I was battling the heat and not fully tuned into her set. This show gave me the opportunity to pay better attention and also just hear a lot more songs. This woman has a lot of music in her Qveen Herby persona! And I give her even more credit for being able to command a stage and a decent sized venue all on her own. Sure, there were some props to help out along the way, but she really covered the space well.
As I was prepping for the show by doing a deep dive into her music, there were definitely a handful of songs I was hoping would make the cut. And I was not disappointed! “Sensational” off of her latest EP was the opening to the show and it was perfect. Off of that same record, “The Fool” popped up way earlier than I would have expected, and “Aura Poppins,” as much as I love it, came way later than I was thinking it would! I think what was the most surprising to me was the songs that made it to the encore. Are “MINT” and “Marie Antoinette” really her most popular? I also questioned the popularity of “Sade in the 90s” until I saw how wild the crowd reacted to it.
Personally, I would have thought strong songs like “5D,” “Sugar Daddy,” and “Busta Rhymes” would have been encore material, but as a newer fan, I guess I wouldn’t really know. Something that struck me throughout the set was how short most of her songs were. I think it was made a little more apparent because she took very few breaks. Basically no time at all between songs, and only a few very short breaks for outfit changes. The outfits were also amazing, and it’s clear that her fashion over the years has been very inspirational to her fans. Speaking of the fans, this place was packed last night! I was a little bit surprised by that.
Anyway, even though we didn’t get the whole thing, I was happy to hear parts of “Look at Me Now” and “Brokenhearted” from the Karmin days. Fun fact, fourteen years ago I had the distinct pleasure of meeting her and her husband at my local radio station in between college classes. What a crazy world! Anyway, Qveen Herby is mad talented and it’s crazy she’s not more popular than some of these trash pop and rap artists out there. Go check her out if you get the chance.
