Sweet, approachable, and soft are how Finnish songstress, Peppina presented herself at Rockwood Music Hall. The singer made it her personal mission to promote positivity, yet her faith in its workings did not seem forced or farcical. Sometimes, when you hear someone say. “The right attitude brings the right things”, you could want to roll your eyes and say, “Yeah right!”. Yet, the genuineness of Peppina, when she said the statement above, helped the notion feel possible. It was as if she had truly experienced the wonders of a “right attitude” towards life.
You can always tell how good or “right” a boss is according to their team. As we all gathered at Rockwood Music Hall, the night began with one of Peppina’s backup singers sentimentally introducing her and recalling how Peppina described her career recently to be like a “Cinderella” moment. The love in the young woman’s voice and the twinkle in Peppina’s band’s eyes showed that Peppina is the the type of leader that builds loyalty through kindness, which is exactly what she did throughout the night. If Peppina was Cinderella, the crowd was her glass slipper, and they fit perfectly. In between her songs, she would take the time to brightly discuss how she gained belief in herself, and her faith that humanity should and can lean on each other. The compassionate adages gave the night a feeling of hope, which, she noted, can seem rare nowadays. Moreover, it made the audience like Peppina, which can be as or even more important than love.
Love can be given to anyone, but, sometimes, we do not always like who we love. Luckily, Peppina is both likable and lovable, and she is blissfully unaware of it. This only charmed the audience even more. Her optimism rings throughout her music like a lyrical bell calling everyone home to her “open heart”; something she proudly proclaimed to have and share with the world during her duet with Chris Gruen of “Young Hearts”. For Peppina, her vast wisdom may be hard to believe when comparing to her young age, but like, in her songs “Still Alone” and “Raise Your Hand”, it was clear to the crowd that she is gentle in heart and voice. During “Raise Your Hand” she asked everyone to, literally, raise and sway their hands in agreement that the world would be better if we could all just be children again. Her affirmation struck the audience with the quiet nostalgia every human being has for those “kid days” when making a dream or a friend was possible by request. Hence, what is so great about the delicacy of Peppina’s vocals is that they elevate her virtuous messages and the mass sonic spaces her band builds behind her.
Violinists and a cellist aligned the side of Rockwood Music Hall’s lounge, and the stage was filled with stringed and percussive instruments to make it seem like a rich overflow of music. Seeing so many people back Peppina up sonically and spiritually furthered her power as a songstress/ leader. It reminded viewers the power of a band in backing the lead singer, but the leadership that goes into empowering your band. Moreover, it gave resonance to the old days when a vocalist and their band were tied like a tight unit, and the soul that goes behind every inch of making song was widely felt. As they all played their instruments, Peppina’s own voice grew to become like a warm, knitted blanket cast over the audience. Her songs’ complex arrangements were the foundation to the simple, lulling nature of Peppina’s vocals. This helped solidify that vocal belts and riffs are phenomenal but not necessary to make a song spiritual/ sentimental; a great composition with a great message on humanity can be enough.
Peppina’s enlightenment as a person was the driving factor of her concert. In song and spoken word, she could not contain her vision of the goodness of humanity. Such belief took the crowd aback, but made her concert one to cherish for a Wednesday night. Frankly, when you are coming from work, at times, your regard for life and humanity’s “greatness” can be pretty low. Thus, Peppina’s ability to make people feel good felt like a tiny “after-work” miracle. She made people happy in a way that was not about pumping adrenaline into their minds and bodies as much as giving them a break from the daily anxieties and grind that can plague a person. For More Information On PeppinaClick Here,
