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The most epic show to come back to after what feels like an eternity, Emotional Oranges, the neo-R&B king and queen duo, gave us an incredible night to remember on Monday, October 4th at Boston's nightclub venue Royale.
They were fantastic figures moving on the stage as they soulfully sang our hearts into euphoria. It was like I could forget the world outside the 4 walls of this venue and only concern myself with swaying, singing, and dancing the night away.
The boisterous and excited energy in the room was contagious, and you could see everyone in the room bouncing. The projections in the panel behind them backlit their silhouettes with hues of every color possible, making the space feel like we had escaped to our own vibey wonderland. The dark, sultry vibes the group creates filled the spaces in the room and embraced all of us into its hypnotic trance. I mean it! For that hour and half of the show, I was blissfully ignorant of everything going on in my life: heartaches, bad weather, work stress... you get it. They made you feel like you were floating. They interacted with the crowd, storytelling the narratives of the highs of relationships and the lows of heartbreaks and taking you back down this feeling of nostalgia as their music is very much inspired by some of their favorite artists from one of the golden eras of music including Sade, Lauryn Hill, Snoop Dogg, Tupac, and more.
However, the best way for me to describe the Emo Orange mentality is that their music is the feeling of locking eyes with a stranger at the club and falling in love for a night. It's the feeling of the extreme rush of emotions. It's the moments in the day, early in the morning, late in the night, and in the in-between hours where you spend time thinking about "them". The twists and turns that love brings, the drama, the joy, the pain...all of it., and yet, despite all of its chaos, you still wouldn't have it any other way. Emotional Oranges are the cynical yet hopeless romantics and the music is as intoxicating as love is, allowing you to drift away into the corners of your mind (pun intended). It's the kind of music you would want at every party, each room, like each song is a new aura and environment: a lounge, a club, a house party...their music just adapts to every space and every vibe.
~Above are just a few snapshots I captured at the show. @neelumohaghegh~
The pair performed their new project The Juicebox, and of course some of their biggest hits from the The Juice: Vol. I and The Juice: Vol. II.
The lights shined on the crowds, and in every one of those instances, whether it was them singing "Down to Miami (ft. Becky G)" or "Sundays", "Motion" or "Just Like You", "All That" or "Iconic", you could feel the emotions everyone felt collectively: joy, empathy, sensuality, and anguish.
Other aspects of the show that were memorable included a guest appearance by Biig Piig (who was also their opener), who performed her collab track with Emo Oranges called "Body & Soul". The trio, in perfect harmony, set the mood for the room. The other opener was Unusual Demont who comes from the same indie label as Emo Oranges (Avant-Garden Records, an imprint of Universal Music Group). Though I had known of a few of his tracks before, including “PINE” and “AMBER”, I was absolutely blown away by this young artist’s talent. He really had the crowd intrigued with his silky vocals, his youthful energy, and kind soul. His new age R&B tones is like uncorrupted sad boy music, and we were all here for it. He went from fast-tempo to slowed down melodies, really preparing our souls for the Emotional Oranges concert. Unusual Demont then ended his set on a comical note, serenading us to a childhood favorite, Chip Skylark’s “My Shiny Teeth and Me” (yes, from “Fairly Odd Parents”), really demonstrating his knowledge of the demographic in the audience. He recently released his project HUES. which you can listen to HERE.
When the duo performed their hit "Your Best Friend is a Hater" from The Juice: Vol. II, they did their infamous battle of the sexes, having the girls and the guys in the crowd sing in an echo-and-call format at the top of our lungs calling out all the best friends who are haters.
Towards the end of the show, V sang a beautiful rendition of The Fugees' legendary song "Killing Me Softly" and of course finished off the night with their heart-thumping track "West Coast Love"; a truly perfect encore song that united everyone in the room to the old school 808 vibes. Without a doubt, V's voice is absolutely stunning and her dancing is phenomenal; she truly stole the show with just her presence and charisma, hypnotizing us to sing and move with her. Even her partner-in-crime, A, admitted that he "couldn't do it without her". Her vocal range makes her a force to be reckoned with. Of course, we can't forget about the other half! A was able to keep the crowd bouncing and entranced with his sad, sexy boy intonations, that roared and soothed all at once. He's the sweet melodies that ignites the emotions and V fuels the flames.
It's safe to say, that I will continuously go to their concerts anytime I am in a state where I can catch them. So far I've seen them twice, once in LA and once in Boston, and every time, they never disappoint. I would catch them while they're still on tour!
Somehow, it’s always perfectly timed that when I’m at an emotional period of my life, I see them in concert, and right after the experience I feel liberated and a million times lighter. Thank you, Emo Oranges, for an unforgettable night.