Jessie Reyez put on a breathtaking show at MTelus on Saturday, Nov. 26
Toronto native Jessie Reyez made her debut performance at MTelus on Nov. 26. The last time the singer was in Montreal was in 2021 for Osheaga. Seeing her perform at Osheaga on the big stage with thousands of people was one thing, but seeing her perform in a smaller, more intimate venue was something else.
The show, which is a part of Reyez’s first tour, had two incredible openers. The first opener goes by the name of Leila Dey, who is also from Toronto. The artist had a soulful R&B sound, and seemed extremely confident in herself. She even took us back to the ’90s and sang some old R&B hits to a thrilled crowd.
The second opener was the very impressive Nija Charles. The artist has written songs for Ariana Grande, Beyonce, and many other mainstream artists. However, as she explained at the show, she wants to pave her own path in music. She was dancing and singing, looking evidently confident in herself. She got the crowd hyped for Reyez to come out.
As soon as Reyez came out, the crowd became absolutely deafening. The singer-songwriter made it clear that she loves performing, and that she loves her fans. Her sultry, raspy and powerful voice reminds me of the late Amy Winehouse. It’s rare that singers sound better live than they do on an edited track, and Reyez is a perfect example.
The singer was incredibly talkative with the crowd. Not only was her show musically entertaining, but she was also very funny. She cracked jokes in between songs, interacted with a few lucky fans in the audience, and even drew someone’s new tattoo for them.
Another thing that is common at her concerts is people throwing their bras at her on stage. Reyez had 10-12 hanging on her mic stand, and it was amusing to see her sing very emotional deep songs with them hanging there.
The concert was a beautiful experience, with a crowd so loud that the artist even started crying at one point because she was so taken aback.
Reyez ended the concert with the song that made her famous, “Figures.” All the lights were dimmed and everyone turned their phone flashlights on. It was solely Reyez with her guitar, singing as the audience sang back even louder. It was the type of moment that makes concerts and music so enthralling.
The show was one to never forget. Reyez put everything she had into her performance — it’s clear that she was meant to be a musician.
Photo by Jessica Jakubowicz
