Lykke Li Live at The Wiltern, Los Angeles

Earlier this summer, electropop singer-songwriter Lykke Li released so sad so sexy, her fourth studio album. In a recent Instagram post, she expressed her excitement for making her Southern California tour stop: “Playing my second home town tomorrow, where so sad so sexy was written, dreamed, produced. I can’t wait to sing and dance and cry with all you angelinos [sic]. Thank you for the inspiration you’ve provided.” On October 16, it all came full circle at the Wiltern.

Possibly taking fashion tips from a futuristic secret agent, Li entered the stage with her hair slicked to the sides and wore an all black, PVC oversized coat and pants. Her four-piece band surrounded her and stood in front of a red, tri-patterned backdrop that displayed eyes and a mouth to look like a disoriented face. The set began with the sullenly synthetic “so sad so sexy,” a moody prelude to a night that was instead full of fun and dance.

After “No Rest for the Wicked,” Li showed her gratitude: “Thank you so much for coming. It’s such a dream for me that you are here tonight.” In furthering her affinity for Los Angeles, she denoted it the “sexiest place.” Li continually recognized the Angeleno effect on her music. To introduce “jaguars in the air,” she said, “You know what I’m feelin’? That this song is a real L.A. song.” She requested the crowd to light up—and not in the phone flashlight sort of way—so that “we can fly away.” Here she bounced between a dreamy and trippy delivery, emphasizing both the calming and inspiring nature of the song.

Li reached a vulnerable, slowed peak later with “bad woman.” She began asking the audience if they knew what three layers of PVC feels like and went on to state she would show real showmanship by singing and playing at the synthesizer. Only Li could be seen at first. The song began slowly with Li barely hitting the synthesizer, confessing to being “a bad woman” in a relationship. A red hue fell over as the band’s presence grew with a song, the title of being a “bad woman” feeling like an ownership rather than a flaw.

In order to thrive among Li’s tales of emotional turmoil, it was key to dance. She made it easy with alternative and soft bubblegum beats. And she encouraged it too: “I can see you wanna dance… I want everybody.” With a mellowed rock ‘n roll attitude over a relaxed EDM track, Li sang “sex money feelings die.” Toward the end of the song, she instructed the crowd for a call and response of “Sex, money feelings, dies / Baby don’t you cry.” Eventually Li became stepped away from the role of instructor and joined the action, eventually leading into the end of the song. Li knew she had the jams, but she seemed just as happy to sing as fans were to sing along. In another moment to prove her fan knowledge, for “I Follow Rivers,” she questioned, “Do you hear what version it is? Only for you. Only for you I do this.”

For the encore, Li was a little more self-indulgent. They returned for “last piece,” off so sad so sexy. Though not at the height of “I Follow Rivers,” the crowd was all in for a chorus sing along, sans instruction. After, she said, “You know, I really wanna make you happy tonight, so I’m gonna play an Usher song.” Li threw out “U Got It Bad”’s traditional R&B sound, but kept the same feel (with her usual indie pop flare). In the finale, Li proved herself a music fan just as much as those watching her.

Setlist

1. so sad so sexy
2. No Rest for the Wicked
3. Just Like a Dream
4. jaguars in the air
5. two nights
6. hard rain
7. Little Bit
8. bad woman
9. I Never Learn
10. deep end
11. sex money feelings die
12. better alone
13. Gunshot
14. I Follow Rivers

Encore

1. last piece
2. U Got It Bad (Usher cover)

Photo Credit: Alyssa Fried