Last November 6, this Brit R&B queen captured our hearts at her first ever concert in Manila. Insignia Presents brought in the Grammy Award winning ELLA MAI to perform at the New Frontier Theater, I could spend days talking about how amazing she sounds live. Her voice is like a warm hug after a long day, smooooth like butter, soothing yet compelling. And if you’re wondering if she sounds as good live as she does in the studio, yes she absolutely does — maybe even better.
The stage set-up was pretty simple; just the singers and the band without any complicated designs or LED screen. It goes to show how sometimes less is more, helping us really take in her music without distractions. Still, I’d love to see what she could do with a big stage design if she ever comes back!
Manila was Ella Mai’s last stop on The Debut Tour (which she mentioned has been going on since January), and the crowd made sure it was a memorable last show. There was no dull moment since the second she came on stage. Ella Mai, her backup singers, and her band all had this amazing energy that the audience matched perfectly. Everywhere you looked, people were on their feet dancing! It was all one big R&B party, with Ella Mai leading with her sweet, sweet moves.
“Boo’d Up” was obviously a favorite of the night, the song that launched Ella Mai into superstardom and changed her life. “Manila, I wanna hear you sing this one really loud” she said before the Boo’d Up chorus. It was so precious to see how her face was lit up the whole time! I guess she didn’t expect that she had so many fans in Manila waiting to sing this song with her.
All the happy dancing and partying kept up throughout the show with hits like “Whatchamacallit,” “Shot Clock,” “Dangerous,” and more from her debut album and EPs. Things also got slow and sensual when Ella Mai performed “Close” and “Gut Feeling.” She even made things a little more intimate, coming down from the stage and performing her stripped down track “Naked” in the pit, as close to the audience as she could get.
Energy shot back up to 100 when Ella Mai closed the show with one of her biggest hits, “Trip.” She made sure to let all the Filipino fans know how much she loves us. “You guys are incredible and I appreciate you from the bottom of my heart!” Fans were screaming for more after her last song, and although we didn’t get an encore, we got one more incredible moment: Ella stepped back on stage and started dancing to the house music, and we all danced with her. I don’t know how else to describe this moment than saying, it was such a vibe.
Each song Ella Mai sang was a different experience, all combining into one amazing concert that really showed off what a talented, versatile performer she is. It’s no wonder she’s become one of the biggest names in R&B! We’re looking forward to the day she comes back so we can all party together again. Big thanks to Insignia Presents for this awesome show!
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