“Happy Pride Month!” and it truly is a happy one when graced by the musical talents of Empress Of. Performing a sold out show, Empress Of left fans far from disappointed with her performance of songs from her album For Your Consideration, mixing Spanish and English to the beat of synthesizers. The crowd knew to silence themselves when they saw flashing white lights hit against the black stage curtains, breaking the image of darkness previously presented to them when waiting between acts. A moment later the beloved performer made her way to center stage to the cheers of fans who came ready for a hyper fem night. 

Empress Of was accompanied by Pete, who manned a broadway billboardesque DJ set. The collaboration made for a bouncy yet sultry sound in the opening song “Preciosa.” The fog that engulfed the stage changed with the beat from yellowish greens to hues of purple. Her third song “Feminine” utilized the sounds of snaps as a constant amidst the addition of house beats and vocals. The song ended the way any good house music ends, with the release of the crowds built up excitement when screaming the lyrics “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy” as they jumped up and down. “Give Me Another Chance” followed “Preciosa” and continued the exploration into the realm of electronic sound with the distorted lyrics “give me another chance” adding layers that gave the song an enviable richness. 

One of the most notable songs of the night was “Love is a Drug,” where the audience experienced how limitless Empress Of’s vocal abilities are with her unwavering falsetto. In addition to this great vocal feat, Empress Of added energy to the performance by whipping her hair during the instrumental interlude and moving across the stage to the punchy bass with such a genuine freeness. Her stage presence made the song fun and energetic. This fun bass continued into “Bit of Rain “ where she did a bit of voguing. 

“Wild Girls” was another song which got the crowd screaming. She opened the song asking if there were “any wild girls in the audience” and by the sound of the screams, which could be compared to the volume of an amp at its highest setting, the answer to the question was clear. To round off the night, Empress Of left the crowd dazzled with her performance of “What’s Love.” Overall it was a great night at El Rey and that’s all because of Empress Of. 

Setlist

1. Preciosa 
2. Cura
3. Feminine
4. Give Me Another Chance 
5. 4eva
6. Love is a Drug 
7. Bit of Rain 
8. U Give it Up 
9. Wild Girl 
10. Facil 
11. What Type of Girl Am I?
12.  Sucia 
13. Save Me
14. Loreli
15. Kiss Me
16. What’s Love