Lyn Lapid Proves She's Not a "Buzzkill" at the El Rey Theatre: Concert Review
Written by Daphne Bryant
All images courtesy of Samantha Wong
It had always been Lyn Lapid’s dream to headline El Rey, and at a sold-out concert on June 28th, she finally got the chance.
The Los Angeles show was intended to be the final of her Buzzkill World Tour, but there had been some complications along the way. Lyn’s voice was struggling, and she’d cancelled the San Diego tour two nights before. As I got ready to see Lyn for the first time, I anxiously checked her Instagram story for updates, watching as the start time got pushed back. My nerves were high, but as soon as I saw her name in flashing lights on the marquee, they all went away.
I was excited, and I wasn’t the only one. Fans came decked in all shades of red, a central color and theme of the album itself. I noticed that Lyn’s audience was wonderfully diverse, just as diverse as her music. She had a strong Asian fanbase, and I also saw couples, moms with kids and their friends, teenage guys and more. The city was buzzing in anticipation.
Inside were general admissions, a bar, and a romantic upstairs lounge, and sparkly chandeliers that hung from the ceiling and created an almost vintage atmosphere. When my roommate and I entered we were immediately blessed with the voice of singer-songwriter Sabrina Sterling, the opener. Her music was nostalgic and sugared, and the experience was reminiscent of listening to a young Taylor Swift or Lizzy McAlpine. The biggest song of hers was“ Bittersweet”, a track about big sisters/older siblings that had achieved high levels of virality on TikTok. The crowd started swaying together, the flashlights on their phones lighting up the theater in the most wholesome way. As a big sister, it was precious imagining“ Bittersweet” from my younger sister’s perspective, and I wondered in that moment if she had ever resonated with the beautiful and heartfelt lyrics. It was safe to say that Sabrina, her sound, and her lyricism blew me away. She is one of the most promising young musicians I’ve heard in a long time, and I’m thrilled to see what she does next.
Fifteen minutes after Sabrina wrapped her set, the lights went off and the room erupted into cheers. I knew what that meant: it was time for Lyn to hit the stage.
She emerged high energy, in a frilly red top, black vest, cute necktie, black mini shorts, and rhinestoned belt, with a scrunchie on her wrist and red hair tinsel in her hair. The moment she stepped out, she commanded the audience, and I couldn’t get enough of it. No seriously: it’s been a long time since I’ve seen an artist with a spirit that infectious. She performed a few songs from the titular album BUZZKILL, but the first track that stood out to me was an older song,“ Producer Man”, a jazzy track that slammed a music producer for essentially asking Lyn to sell out. While I couldn’t stop myself from grooving, I was also amazed by her storytelling ability, the way she painted such a vivid description of the dehumanization so many artists go through in the industry.
Lyn transitioned beautifully between her more upbeat and funky songs and her slower ones, keeping the audience engaged. Her band was also great: their arrangements were catchy and memorable, and I had forgotten Lyn was even struggling with her voice until she said so.
Whenever she did falter, or whenever there were technical difficulties, the crowd would scream back the songs at her or make jokes so that she would laugh (though Lyn certainly kept things light on her own).
One of the most memorable moments of the show was when Lyn asked for a volunteer from the audience:“ Who here is a boy?” I watched as excited hands shot up and she picked someone named Parker, who she called her“poster boy, after the song itself.“ poster boy” is from the project that came before, an album entitled to love in the 21st century, and Lyn compared the feeling of the song to the feeling of having an airport crush, someone you may never see again. She perfectly captured that indie-pop, Netflix rom-com yearning that so many of us experience, and I bopped my head along as Parker blushed a tomato red.
Later on Lyn performed a slower, cheeky, piano cover of “Love Like You”, a song from the hit animated TV show, Steven Universe. Even though I was never a Steven Universe girl, I could just imagine how special that moment was for a fan who also loved the show.
I was also enamored by the show’s fan project: people had attached hearts to their phone cases that glowed a red orange light, and the shock and light on Lyn’s face made my night. At one point, Grace and Sabrina (part of the tour) walked out and re-emerged wearing her merch and strutting like they were on a runway: it was hilarious and awesome, and there were lots of great moments like that all night long.
The final thing that stood out to me was how grateful Lyn was for her team. She took the time to pull out her phone and shout out her collaborators, writers, legal team, visual coordinators, label, touring crew, band, managers and more, each by name. I’ve never seen an artist do something like that, to that extent, and I think it’s safe to say that my roommate and I both fell in love with Lyn in real time that night.
The encore was three beautiful songs long, including“ in my mind”, the song that helped me discover Lyn). Lyn ended with“ i’ll be happy when”, which was so powerful live it almost made me cry. The song concludes with the lyrics“ Be a buzzkill forever?”, but as everyone in the crowd repeated that question over and over, it became less of a question and more of a statement. We were yelling at the top of our lungs, letting go, and being free, and isn’t that what a concert is all about?
With over 2M listeners on Spotify, Lyn Lapid has certainly cemented herself and her legacy in the music industry, but I know that it is only up from here. She’s wildly humble, with the voice of an angel and instrumentalist skills that both envy and impress.
