Brett Callwood
Brooklyn-based R&B artist Talia told us about her Moses Sumney experience.
Talia: The summer before my junior year of college, I went to Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago. It was a warm afternoon in July of 2018, and I was standing towards the front of the crowd as I watched the angelic Moses Sumney walk onstage. He was draped in elegant black clothing and cool dark shades with his red electric guitar. Everything about his aura radiated and there was such an ease to his poise. I’ve been a huge fan of Moses Sumney since 2016 when his EPLamentations dropped. Immediately I fell in love with his divine harmonies and haunting lyrics. I remember hearing Moses hitting these unreal higher octave notes live in concert and it didn’t feel humanly possible.
I was completely immersed in his world. There were other performances happening around the park and people moving from crowd to crowd, but in that moment all the outside noise was drowned out by his presence. I lost all concept of time while singing along to his poetic words. He truly had me in a magical trance. The whole crowd swayed in unison and you could feel the ethereal warmth between us. That’s when you know it’s special — when you’re standing alongside hundreds and thousands of people, but the artist still manages to deliver an intimate and raw performance.
Towards the end of his set, he sang his song Doomed and I immediately broke down in tears of joy. The song is a cathartic experience of human pain and hearing it live, singing it aloud in a crowd of people, felt like a communal healing of sorts. It was achingly joyous. My friend secretly filmed me while I was crying, so I’ll forever have that video to remember that beautiful moment. I have never felt that deeply moved by a concert before, and I’m in awe of Moses Sumney’s ability to transport people through his music.
Talia’s Headrush EP is out April 2.
