K.Flay played a sold-out hometown show at Schuba's

Emily Blue and K. Flay

Schuba’s // Chicago, IL // April 19, 2019

The Chicagoland rapper and singer brought down the house in an intimate and super energetic performance.

It’s been incredibly rewarding seeing K.Flay become a superstar. I first heard her back in 2015 on a local radio station and fell in love. She’s played nearly every venue in Chicago, and she was one of the very first artists I ever shot back in December of 2015. Embarrassingly, she opened for Twenty One Pilots, and I’d never heard of them! I was just there for K.Flay. Since then, she’s been on tour with Imagine Dragons, formed an adorable friendship with Bishop Briggs, and has had her songs used in commercials and TV shows. Her sold-out show at Schuba’s was an amazing treat for her fans, considering she could easily sell out a much bigger venue that doesn’t give you the up close and personal experience that Schuba’s does.

K.Flay by Kate Scott

Before embarking on this mini-tour, K.Flay reached out to fans on Twitter and asked to help find local acts for each city. Enter Emily Blue, a synth-pop singer/songwriter with bubble gum hair and tongue-in-cheek lyrics. The Chicago artist seemed elated to be opening for K.Flay and brought a group of friends with her to dance onstage, throw balloons, and add to the whimsy of her set. People who came to the show for K.Flay left as fans of Blue, whose soft, serene voice and catchy songs made them dance where they stood. Also, who doesn’t love balloons?

Emily Blue by Kate Scott

“My family’s here!” K.Flay said in between songs. We heard some yells from the back of the venue as she laughed and said “yep, that’s my uncle.” Although she lives in L.A. now, she is originally from the northern suburbs of Chicago and made a name for herself here before making it big across the country. For her hometown show, she played a smattering of old favorites, including her huge hit “Blood in the Cut”, but she also treated fans to brand new songs. Her newest single, “Bad Vibes”, has her distinct raspy voice and stomping beats, but it feels a little more grown up than some of her older work. She played tracks that haven’t been released yet from her upcoming album, and they definitely have a California vibe. It’ll be amazing to hear the rest of the album soon, and her show at Schuba’s gave fans a preview they’ll be talking about until it drops.