As the bass shook the floor and the crowd cheered, singer HEESU was completely in her element performing for her audience. She belonged on stage as her magnetic energy and smooth voice flowed through the room.
WBUR showcased “Live in Concert: HEESU, WBUR Massachusetts Tiny Desk Favorite” Friday night. CitySpace was packed with eager fans as well as those watching virtually to see HEESU and her band.
Every year NPR holds a Tiny Desk Contest and HEESU was WBUR’s favorite Massachusetts entry.
As she walked out in a white dress with delicate pearl-like beads on her face, HEESU’s angelic-like song “I Want To Get To Know Myself Better” blared through CitySpace. Immediately the crowd was enthralled by her.
Being from South Korea, HEESU’s songs have both English and Korean in them, and she transitions between the languages seamlessly. You might not even realize she has switched languages because of the musical trance she puts you in.
The second song performed, “Tik Tok,” is one of these such songs. With fun and inviting beats, it is easy to find yourself dancing to it just as the audience was. Using instruments such as synthesizers, all of her music is easy to dance to.
With almost 3,000 listens on Spotify, the song “Honey Eyes” is Heesu’s most popular. This song feels deeply personal as HEESU described an intense connection through someone’s eyes with lyrics like, “When I look into your brown eyes, I’m lost and paralyzed.”
“Honey Eyes” was her second-to-last performance and the crowd exploded with cheers as the song started playing.
Her closing song was one released the day of the concert called “ME.” A song with lo-fi-like beats and another mixed with both Korean and English, it was a memorable way to ring out the set
Based on the lyrics, the song is all about making time for herself. According to a WBUR article, the chorus translated from Korean is, “I just wanna focus on myself right now, I just wanna spend more time with myself, I wanna get to know myself better.”
In total, HEESU sang 10 songs, each of which was beautiful and different in its own way. Along with an encore of “ME,” the audience was never left bored.
Heesu was extremely grateful for her fans, the band and the people of WBUR. This was reflected by the many times she stopped to thank and give shout-outs to her supporters.
The relationship between HEESU and her band is a strong one, most of them have known each other since their days at Berklee College of Music. In the way they interacted with each other on stage, such as making constant eye contact, one can tell there is strong trust and connection between them.
Fans came from all over, such as New York City and Bermuda, just to see HEESU live in concert. She met, signed autographs and took pictures with anyone who wanted one after the show.
Something unique and utterly memorable about HEESU was how she interacted with her fans during the concert. Oftentimes she would step off the stage to dance with the people up front, twirling them as she sang.
Performing is why she creates music, she said. It is what inspires her.
“I love engaging with the audience,” HEESU said. “I feel like when I’m on stage I’m like living, I feel alive.”
