Alisa Amador’s music is a grounding force

“Imagine a comforting and cooling light that starts at the top of your head and moves down to the rest of your body…”

This quote encompasses everything I love about Alisa Amador’s set at the 2024 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival in San Francisco. On October 6, the day of the concert, it was scorching hot — the sun beating down mercilessly in Golden Gate Park, the dense air forcing the crowds to trudge at a sluggish pace from stage to stage. By the time I got to “Horseshoe Hill Stage,” I was sweaty and exhausted, my mind muddled from the heatwave and midterm anxiety. Yet, listening to Alisa Amador play songs from her album, Multitudes (2024), changed the trajectory of my day. As she sang, shared smiles, joked between songs and connected with her audience spiritually (the quote above is from a mindfulness exercise she did with the audience), I felt grounded in my body. The concert was truly one of the first moments of my week that I felt truly present and able to enjoy the moment. 

As Amador progressed from note to note, chorus to chorus I found myself appreciating the majestic trees towering behind the stage, the soft grass beneath my feet, friends by my side, and the venue decor (which included a wooden chicken coop, felt chicken, and an old-timey clothesline). Before the concert, I only knew about Amador’s music from her “Tiny Desk” Contest win. Now, I can attest that her stage presence is truly special — something no YouTube video can properly capture.

Listening to Amador’s vocals feels like a soothing surge of light coursing through your body. In “Still Life,” she encourages you to treat yourself with kindness, especially when you feel like there is no one to support you. In “Love Hate Song” she helps you recognize the anger that has built up inside your body in response to hardships, come to terms with it, and release it. In “Timing,” she captures the experience of feeling overwhelmed and explores what it takes to be vulnerable.

“Thank you,” Amador says after finishing “Timing.” “Welcome!” someone from the crowd yells. This singular word and action sums up the energy of the audience sitting on picnic blankets and enjoying the show; everyone was both relaxed and simultaneously, very attentive. The audience responded to Amador’s songs and affirmations with increasing energy throughout the concert.

One of the most beautiful and intimate moments of Amador’s set was when she introduced her friend Bean to the crowd, who then supported her throughout the rest of her set. Together, they played a “Latin-folk rhythmic” rendition of Radiohead’s “High & Dry.” “I don’t really know what genre my music is, so if you know, let me know at the merch table,” Amador joked, “But if there’s one cover song that could encompass what my music is, it would be [this cover].” Listening to the cover felt like releasing a breath held for too long, everyone immediately relaxing into the rhythm. Two people from the crowd began dancing near the stage, which made the experience feel all the more magical.

Another awe-inspiring moment was when she performed the song “Extraño.” She dedicated the song to her dad and uncle in the audience, telling them, “I wouldn’t be who I am without you.” She went on and explained how “Extraño” is all about moving between worlds and how if her dad hadn’t moved from Placitas, New Mexico to Boston she wouldn’t exist. “Papi, I know you miss your home every day. I’m so grateful that you made a home and started a family in Boston.” The lines, “Yo extraño las palabras que yo antes conocía / Con las cuales construía pequeñitas poesías,” specifically stuck with me, made me reminisce on how I felt leaving my hometown of Izmir, Türkiye to attend college in Berkeley, California. It rekindled a forgotten part of myself. It reminded me of Turkish words that are becoming less and less familiar to me. I too used to write poems solely in my native language, Turkish. But now my every experience, sentence, and line is infused with both English and Turkish. The song truly encapsulates what it feels like to call multiple geographical locations, languages, and realities home: equally dream-like and gut-wrenching.

When Amador finished her set, the crowd rose to their feet in applause– and for good reason. Alisa Amador is currently touring for her album, Multitudes, landing in different cities in California and the rest of the US. I encourage everyone to attend one of her live performances—it will be a transformative evening!

Article by Irem Kurtdemir

Featured image courtesy of Alisa Amador