As far as dream and synthpop-infused alternative R&B goes, I’m always surprised when Lorely Rodriguez, otherwise known as Empress Of, doesn’t get her due praise, let alone be discussed more. Across three excellent albums and the recently released ‘Save Me’ EP—itself a fantastic capsule-sized achievement—Empress Of has firmly established her talents in the realms of both songwriting and production. Her indietronica-inspired beats consistently serve as the perfect companion to the words that flow from her pen. Her verses primarily focus on themes of companionship, yes, but the full extent of her strengths lie in her ability to mine through the emotions that naturally form as the result of finding the one you’re able to form a deep, emotional, and physical connection with. It’s a bond that can evolve into something beautiful when it grows deeper, or into something tragic & ugly when it comes to an abrupt end. And Empress Of is perhaps one of the few artists that is able to perfectly capture the full scope of these experiences. Whether it’s through vocal harmonies that wax poetic about the simplicities of spending time with one another on “Everything to Me,” or just how powerful and addicting a force physical & emotional bonds can be on “Love is a Drug,” she’s able to take these simple song premises and explore the full scope of what these emotions can entail. Without turning this write-up into a tirade, it should be made pretty clear what I think about Empress Of, her abilities, and the ample amounts of attention her artistry is entitled to.
Perhaps it’s for these accomplishments in the studio, combined with her abilities on the stage, as well as wishful thinking in the form of Carly Rae Jepsen hearing the pleas of Empress Of’s devoted fanbase, that has resulted in Lorely receiving a well-earned spot as the opening act for Carly’s So Nice Tour, allowing fans both new and old to experience the many talents Empress Of has to offer, and witness for themselves why she’s viewed so highly.
As far as making a good impression on the Carly Rae faithful, and making the case for why she deserved the opener slot, I think Empress Of stuck the landing on both fronts when she kicked things off on Monday night for the tour stop in Boston at the very new Roadrunner. Her setlist was primarily focused on her most popular songs, which on one hand, did not give concertgoers the chance to experience deeper cuts like “Bit of Rain,” “Maybe This Time,” “Timberlands,” and the previously mentioned “Everything to Me.” On the other hand, however, this should not frame this concert experience as something incomplete. After all, any concert that includes “Give Me Another Chance” very early on in the set, as well as the chance to dance & groove to “When I’m With Him” — which is exactly what the audience did — is always a top-tier concertgoing experience. Combine this with Empress Of and her consistently high levels of energy onstage, always taking the form of dance that is equal parts a high-intensity cardio workout and infectious enough to want to make space to bring out your own moves on the venue floors, and it became clear throughout her set that Empress Of both did her job effectively as an opener—both in terms of making the case for why she deserves your attention, as well as welcome new supporters into the fold. As the night progressed, the audience still made it clear that their main priority was Carly, but for the entirety of Empress Of’s set, fans not only afforded her the attention, respect, and engagement all openers should receive, they also had no problem surrendering themselves completely to her infectious beats, crooning voice, and hypnotic dance routines. And on a night where you have to be the lead-up to a performer that has as big of a star as Carly, surely that counts for a lot, right?
Check out our gallery from the show below.
