Concert Review: Madam West Brings Neo-Soul To Millennial Nightlife At Highline Ballroom

I begin my review with a personal note. I had the pleasure of meeting Madam West’s lead singer Sophie Chernin, and get to know the brains behind this neo-soul quintet. She impressed me with her sparkling personality, career determination, and personal avidness to be balanced even through life’s imbalances. After all, she is an ambitious, talented young woman trying to rise in one of the hardest industries, music, in one of the roughest cities, NYC. Thus, her Highline Ballroom performance was a highlight I was looking forward to. How would the MFA NYU grad line up in this buzzy lounge of NYC?

Welp, I can certainly say that the MFA has come in handy. Sophie is 100% an emoter through her songs, which are humorously based on the most random of things. From bicycles to manatees or the ever-growing odyssey of women’s empowerment, it seems Madam West equally looks to transportation and transcendence in each track. Of course, being a proud intellectual, Sophie’s wit is dry and punching, which I enjoyed. Her humor along with the psychedelic visuals backing her, helped give Madam West’s show a Wes Anderson vibe that I relished. People want to see color and eccentricity because we all feel like a pack of eccentrics who have no idea if that is a “colorful” thing to be. Yet, Sophie, rocking “glow in the dark” yoga gear and stretching her body like she was conducting a class, pumped up an irreverent ease to their performance. We were there to learn more about the essence of “chill” rather than actually chilling. As her voice radiated with the sentiments of a woman stressed over life’s inundating decisions and devious relationships, tracks like “L” and “Anxiety Palace” felt like tiny, sonic pills for those eager to escape depression through experimentalism. After all, music does heal, and Madam West’s soul-psychedelia seem constructed like a math equation for millennial issues; you have the problem in the first verse, the process/ equation to solving it in the chorus, and it all ends with a proper, catchy hook of a solution. This may not seem new, but in a world where music can present the issues, but not the resolutions, I am all for the positivism. It makes their waning chords, fuzzed keys, and Sophie’s crisped vocals warm and soothing.

Personally, I believe what is relatable is warmly attracting. When someone says, “Yup, I have been through that!”, it is like life passed you a spiritual hot cocoa to share. Yet, Madam West not only find success in building the inviting nature of being relatable, but also the fun and genius that follows. Imagine if everyone in the world let their intelligence, love, and uniqueness shine for what they are? How wonderful would that world be? How “Madam Westian” it would sound! For More Information On Madam West Click Here.