Genesis Owusu at The Sinclair, 10/19/23
Genesis Owusu seems as though he was born to perform.
I remember how quickly word spread about the Australian artist’s debut album, Smiling With No Teeth. Early in 2021, all of a sudden, it felt like the album art of his bandaged face and gold-plated smile was everywhere. Critics and fans alike were stumped, unable to decide what familiar genre descriptors or comparisons they could apply to the album—neo-soul? post-punk? Death Grips? Prince?—but it seemed that everyone agreed it was a hell of a record.
Having established himself as one of the premier up-and-comers in the left-field music world, Owusu’s announcement of a second album, set to drop at the tail-end of this summer, was met with excitement and a bit of apprehension. Audiences were anticipating something great, but replicating the reception of Smiling With No Teeth would be lightning in a bottle. When Struggler came out in August, he somehow managed to take the sophomore slump in stride. It didn’t quite reach the cosmic heights of his first record, but he crafted a dance-y post-punk sound into something more cohesive.
Standing in the Sinclair on a Thursday night, any doubts I had about Owusu dissipated. Long before the show even began, the merch line extended toward the doorway and the crowd had already formed a few rows against the stage. A monolithic box covered by a black sheet stood in the center of the stage and old Aphex Twin songs underlined bits of conversation between concertgoers. Around 9 o’clock, after an opening band had finished their set, the lights dimmed and Genesis Owusu stepped to the front of the stage.
He began his performance in the dark before the sheet behind him came down, revealing a strobing light fixture that would serve as the main source of illumination for the first few songs of his set. He began with a few of the more uptempo cuts from Struggler, enthusiastically delivering his lyrics and striking silhouetted poses against the flashing backlights.
After the first three songs, a soft purple light came on and he began to sing “See Ya There,” one of the most lush, soulful tracks from Struggler. It was a near-instantaneous switch from intense to mellow, and Owusu orchestrated it perfectly. The crowd finally had a chance to catch their breaths as he continued with “Waitin’ On Ya” from his first album.
As he traversed through his set, mostly playing his new material, he switched between characters; at points, he was a house diva, at others, he was a rockstar, but no matter what he was, he sold it well. He stepped down from the stage on multiple occasions, walking through the venue while singing. Before I knew it, the show was in its final moments—he played “A Song About Fishing,” one of the final tracks off Smiling With No Teeth, and thanked the audience, briefly leaving the stage. It didn’t take long for him to come back out to perform his encore, “The Roach.”
What stuck out most to me was how natural the performance seemed. Owusu is only 25 years old with two great albums already under his belt and a growing amount of fans. He was a chameleon on stage, theatrically reminding everyone inside the Sinclair that he was here to stay. Although he has already accomplished so much in such a short time, I could only think to myself that Genesis Owusu is just getting started.
