Following the release of her latest album, “Lively Premonition,” Los Angeles-based artist Jordana embarked on her United States tour, accompanied by opener Rachel Bobbitt, a Canadian indie rock musician. Her ninth stop brought her to sunny — though, lately not-so-sunny — San Diego for an enchanting night at the House of Blues Voodoo Room on Feb. 6.
I would have considered myself a semi-fan of Jordana. I initially discovered her music through TV Girl, with her most popular work coming from their 2021 collaboration album, “Summer’s Over.” However, beyond that, I wasn’t super familiar with her work. I had briefly listened to a few songs from “Lively Premonition” in preparation for the concert, but I was going in mostly blind. I quickly learned that I had made the right choice and found myself blown away by the fun and funky world of Jordana.
The night began with a dreamy and intimate performance from Bobbitt, who performed a short setlist of mostly unreleased songs. Unfortunately, I was unable to snag a spot at the very front, so I couldn’t see anything on stage — the curse of being 5 feet tall. Despite the lack of visuals, I had become a Rachel Bobbitt superfan after her 30-minute performance. Her vocals were hypnotising, and her commentary between songs was full of Canadian charm. At the end of her set, she introduced her fellow bandmates: bassist Isaac Tea and guitarist Justice Der. This marked my first surprise of the evening, as I was not expecting to see Der, a musician I have been a fan of since coming across his Frank Ocean guitar covers on YouTube a few years back.
Enter Jordana. Playing “Lively Premonition” from front to back, she opened with “We Get By,” an upbeat song about the freedom and euphoria of finding true love. She sang about letting go of material desires and appreciating love in its purest form. During this song, I experienced my second surprise of the night: Jordana whipped out a violin, an instrument featured in the studio recording of the song but nonetheless unexpected at a live show. It was then that I realized Jordana had graduated from the bedroom pop, whimsical style of her past and had grown into a distinctive sound that was uniquely hers. Her voice was much more powerful and confident than the soft vocals she takes up in “Summer’s Over.” I couldn’t get enough.
The third track on her album, “Heart You Hold,” starts as a slower, bittersweet ode to the transition between childhood and independence, which hit way too close to home. As she approached the chorus, however, Jordana pulled out a tambourine and jumped into lyrics of encouragement. Everyone around me had their mouths wide open, and a few people even squealed in delight; it was a jaw-dropping moment. During the instrumental break of the song, Jordana’s violin came back for an encore, accompanied by the dulcet tones of the piano as she serenaded us in almost a lullaby fashion — almost embodying the spirit of Lindsay Stirling herself.
The fifth track on the album launched the audience into a more offbeat and funky sound as Jordana took us through her experience with party culture and the trippy world of drugs. The song started off with a cautionary message from Jordana; she warned, “This next one is a silly goofy tune. It involves a conversation that I am going to replicate on this very stage. This tune has a fart in it, and it’s called Multitudes of Mystery.” It indeed involved a conversation, which Jordana achieved by using vocal modulations to create a muffled sound, and the conversation indeed included a fart, which elicited a wave of giggles from the audience. It is comforting to know that, regardless of our age, potty humor will always be funny.
Directly following “Multitudes of Mystery” was the album’s sixth track and my favorite song of the night: “Raver Girl.” Jordana opened the song with a declaration of its sapphic nature — “It’s a gay song!” — which was met with an eruption of cheers from the audience. Jordana sang, “You’ve got me thinking what I’m feeling is real. You’ve got me wasting time, raver girl!” The lyrics speak to the experience of seeing a girl in a club, falling in love, and her disappearing before you can get a word in. “Raver Girl” is a groovy, ‘80s-esque dance-pop classic. It includes a funky bassline, a jazzy drum beat, and a chorus so catchy that everybody in the audience couldn’t help but dance along.
Jordana rounded the show off with what she called the “TV Girl Trilogy,” performing “Summer’s Over” and “Sweet to Dream.” The final song of the night, “Better in the Dark,” also marked the final surprise of the night, when Jordana handed the mic off to an audience member who asked her boyfriend to the prom: “I know you don’t look better in the dark, but I think you would look better going to prom with me.” Among the audience’s cheers, he answered affirmatively, screaming “Yes!” While I still have no idea how they set that up, it was certainly a special moment to share with everyone, and I hope Bree and Gabe have the best time at their prom.
Perhaps the best part of the concert was the audience’s energy. Though I was an imposter and only really knew the songs she sang from the “TV Girl Trilogy,” the rest of the crowd was incredibly responsive to the new album and sang along to every track, which Jordana also noted by saying, “I was making a joke the past few shows where I was like, ‘I know what you’re all here for,’ but you guys seem to really like the new record. I see you in here, you’re singing along, and it’s [f—–g] insane bro.” It felt magical to be among a dedicated fanbase for a smaller artist who reciprocates with nothing but appreciation. I left the show feeling satisfied and inspired, and for a week after, I listened to “Lively Premonition” on repeat.
