Shygirl Live at Webster Hall: An Evening of Main Character Moments
By Tara Saraf
Apr 8, Manhattan
I’d known of Shygirl (https://www.instagram.com/0800shygirl/?hl=en), or Blane Muise, for a while before being reintroduced via her feature on FKA Twigs’ “papi bones,” also my most streamed song of 2022. She also made an appearance in my college essay for the motivating and inspiring things she told Cambridge Union about music journalism. The singles leading up to her debut album Nymph were incredible and I knew I had to witness it all live.
As I entered the floor of Webster Hall, the vibes were already high with eclectic beats pounding and bits of cheeky conversation flowing in and out. Specifically, a mashup of t.A.T.u.’s “All the Things She Said” and “Gasolina” absolutely blew my mind. Nina Utashiro, the opening act, (https://www.instagram.com/ninautashiro/?hl=en) stunned everyone with her razor-sharp, bilingual flow and I definitely added most of her discography to my playlist later that night.
A few songs into the set is “Firefly,” possibly my favorite song on Nymph. The melody sounds very throwback 2000s with chopped vocals and production that mimics the flickering pattern of fireflies; the lights at the show naturally flashed in accordance with this. In my view, the lyrics speak to the weird feeling of realizing you were being delusional about someone who never liked you: “It’s been so nice to pretend we could be together again / I’m a fool and I know.”
Right after is the grimy and powerful “SLIME,” the lead single from Shygirl’s ALIAS EP. After a certain point, I could even feel the ground shaking from the sheer volume of the bass. Hearing everyone singing along in Shy’s South London accent was also hilarious.
The backdrop changes were seamless, with the aura going from blood red to purplish blues, perfectly fitting the music. Another highlight from the night included a performance of emotional Wildfire with Eartheater that will drop on the deluxe album, Nymph_o, on April 14th (including collabs with Sevdaliza, Tinashe, and Arca). Shy even tossed white roses into the crowd and brought out two pole dancers who killed it and increased the energy level.
Before performing Cleo, the main character’s anthem, towards the end, Shy thanked us for letting her have the stage– as if we’d want anyone else. It wasn’t the end for many, though, because Club Shy, an afterparty experience curated by Shygirl, was about to start. It feels fitting because the club is so prominent in her sound and she cites stars like Madonna and Björk as inspirations. Even though a thousand bodies were compressed in the audience and voices were being drowned out by the constant screaming, it’s safe to say that Shygirl brought out the main character in each and every one of us.
