I arrived just in time to hear the first strums of her acoustic guitar. I hurried to the front of the general admission floor and then I saw her in all her beauty, dressed in the coolest yellow corset top designed with flowers and vines, and a bandanna on her genius head.

On the first night of Aly and AJ‘s “With Love from Aly & AJ” tour at the Fox Theater, Oakland, Miya Folick, the opener, came fully prepared to leave her mark on the audience. I had done some reconnaissance to prepare myself for the show, listening to her “This is Miya Folick” playlist on Spotify. In my honorable opinion, you need to at least know some songs to engage with any artist’s show, but you especially need it for the indie-rock-alternative-pop joy that Miya brings with her songwriting.

The playlist did not even begin to prepare me for how she stunned the audience that night.

She began the set with a personal favorite of mine “2007,” which was a part of her 2007 EP released in September of last year. It was an apt opening song, foreshadowing the emotionally liberal tone of the later songs to come. Within the first 10 minutes of her set, she had 3 guitar changes, giving off a sense of charm and ease while playing a multitude of instruments.  She proceeded to shift the tone musically with her latest single “Mommy,” her low, raspy voice singing a relatively somber song that had alternative and folk undertones with its layered harmonies and eerie instrumentation.

She then proceeded to speak for the first time, interacting with the audience with a songwriter’s best weapon- vulnerability. Reflecting on the death of her dad and how LA memorialized him, she prefaces the next song with little things that reminded her of him, talking about Elton John, the Troubadour, and (she didn’t say this) the love she had for him. “I know this city just like you,” she croons, giving us a spectacular glimpse into her upcoming sophomore album Roach. Later in the song, she goes “wanna stop crying when I do the dishes,” embodying grief in the simplest of ways. 

I could go on and on about how much that performance resonated with me, but what resonated with me the most was this- overwhelmed emotionally, she had to stop performing for a few minutes. 

Like a cosmic chorus of nature, the crowd begins to cheer her on, outbursts of pure joy alongside someone shouting, “We love you!” but also what was left unsaid: we hear you! Deeply, magically on some otherworldly level, we felt exactly what she was talking about. 

She takes a deep breath and we hear that angelic voice again. The audience and I collectively let out a breath we didn’t know we were holding. She begins singing a series of unreleased songs including “Shortstop” which is featured in Roach. The last song of the night reinvigorates the crowd as her voice soars and merges with the audience, screaming “Get out of my house!” Bathed in blue, pink, and purple lights, she shone in queer glory, hands spread-eagled in a titanic-esque pose that screamed liberation, joy, and peace.

I, for one, am going to meet her at the shortstop for her new album, Roach, releasing on all platforms on May 26th.

Article, Design, and Photos by Anoushka Ghosh 

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