As a first-time Yaeji concert-goer, and a newbie to the Korean music scene, I really didn’t know what to expect. On Wednesday, April 11th, full of nachos from El Techo across the street, I headed over to the venue, Flash Nightclub, and hopped into line, snagging the third spot. It was perfect timing as people quickly started lining up behind me. A bystander walking past exclaimed, “Are you here to see Yaeji?! You’re going to have a great time! That drink I’m sippin' on!”
Yaeji has released two EPs so far in her career, Yaeji and EP2 respectively
After getting a ticket, the rest of the night was a breeze. Not only were the two openers on-point and got the crowd grooving, but the actual setting of the concert was awesome. I had only been to Flash before to dance and get wild, so going to see somebody perform live was exciting (also – short people – if you get there early, standing on the benches is key to having a great view!).
When Yaeji took the stage around 11:45 PM (a little late for me, but it was a Wednesday!), sporting her usual over-sized glasses and a soft pink see-through sweater, she did not disappoint. Opening right up with “Raingurl,” she definitely got us dancing, if we weren’t already. From there she went through some of her other well-known tracks such as “Noonside,” “Feel It Out,” and one of my new personal favorites, “Full Of It,” a track that pays homage to the Women’s March and resistance.
Aside from “Raingurl,” the standout track of the night for me was “New York 93.” When “New York 93” came on, the performance took on an almost hypnotizing feel as she alternated between Korean and English, speaking about thread-bare memories of her brief stint in New York as a child. Yaeji was a transient kid, bouncing around from Atlanta to South Korea to Japan, only to land back in NYC as a teenager. Yaeji explores this disconnect to the concept of ‘home’ in the track “New York 93,” wistfully singing of a childhood she barely had.
Although she did not say much to the crowd, she appeared to be feeling our energy, as much as we were feeling hers. Yaeji is an artist that loves what she does, and it came across in her dancing and engagement with the audience. Mixing and singing at the same time, Yaeji deftly overlayed her vocals while maintaining her transient beats. And despite the sometimes serious tones of her songs, the crowd remained upbeat purely on the passion with which she delivered her tracks.
I left the concert with a sweaty body (worked off those nachos!), and an uplifted spirit. Her connection to us was as tangible as the drink I was sippin' on, and I feel #blessed that I was able to catch her here in DC.