SHOW REVIEW: SEVYN STREETER @ THE EL REY

Words and Photos by Malikka Michelle

Before Sevyn Streeter presented herself as a solo artist, I knew her as a member of girl group, RichGirl. I was one of those Rap-Up magazine readers throughout grade school and I vividly remember seeing her in some of the pictures I would tear out and tape to my wall.

Sevyn’s street team took over El Rey Theatre and I was amongst them on Wednesday. Surveying the venue I spotted TV personality, Christina Milian and Ty$ amongst the crowd. I grabbed a drink from the bar in anticipation of an eventful evening.

Social media sensation, Avery Wilson, kicked off the night with his rendition of Donny Hathaway’s “A Song For You” and an acoustic version of Fetty Wap’s “My Way.” It’s been a long time since I’ve heard girls scream at the top of their lungs for an R&B newcomer, but Avery had them hooked. Occasionally showing off his washboard abs and belting out majestic notes, I’m surprised no one bum rushed the stage. He closed out his set with a performance of his newest single, “Change My Mind” featuring Atlanta based Rap trio, Migos.

Shortly after, Sevyn made her way to the stage and gave us all a taste of her South Florida roots with a few signature dance moves. The room instantly filled with great energy and excitement. Sevyn had me by surprise with her vocal range. The girl can sing! It was my first time seeing her live and I was very impressed.

One of my favorite parts of the night was when she sang her version of Bryson Tiller’s “Don’t.” I have yet to stop listening to TrapSoul and was pleased to hear Sevyn’s spin on things. She’s been remixing a lot of music lately, so it didn’t surprise me that she’d lend her songwriting skills to this song.

She spoke about her public breakup with rapper B.o.B. and how she never made a statement about what caused the rift between them. It appeared as if she was over the failed relationship, but after belting out vocals to “Shattered, “ that’s exactly how she appeared to be. She shed a few tears, but quickly got over it after someone yelled out, “We love you girl! You’ll be alright!”

Closing out the show with a power-packed performance of the Chris Brown featured single, “Don’t Kill the Fun,” Sevyn showed exactly what she set out to do and ended everyone’s evening on a high note.

When we all thought it was over, the DJ reminded us that there was one song we had forgotten. Sevyn was summoned back to the stage with cheers from the audience to perform her hit single, “It Won’t Stop.” She made her way down from the stage to join the audience and received tons of love from her fans.

Sevyn Streeter has a way of capturing experiences within her music making her a very relatable artist. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of her as she continues these live sessions throughout the country.