This December, the Sydney Opera House will present a series of exhilarating-yet-intimate contemporary music performances in one of its most versatile venues. Over three huge nights in the legendary Studio, electronic music’s rising sensation Yaeji, acclaimed US songsmiths Waxahatchee and Kevin Morby, and breakthrough Chicago rapper Sabawill each appear in a one-off performance during this special summer showcase of voices, genres and styles.
Kicking off the series with an Australian debut is 2018’s most exciting dance music export, Yaeji. Singer-songwriters and regular collaborators Waxahatchee (aka Katie Crutchfield) and Kevin Morby– also in his Australian debut – will perform two intimate solo sets the following evening. Rounding out the series, West Chicago rapper and producer Saba will bring his emotive and fearless new music to audiences in an Australian first.
Yaeji – Saturday December 1, 9pm
Seamlessly dominating mainstream and underground dancefloors in her rapid rise this year, self-taught Korean-American singer, DJ and producer, Yaeji (aka Kathy Lee) will bring her global favourites “Drink I’m Sippin On” and “Raingurl” to the Studio for one bass-heavy evening this December. From DJ’ing on local college radio to selling out 800-capacity rooms in less than a year, the rising star has spent 2018 performing on renowned world stages from Coachella and Panorama to Sónar and Way Out West Festival. Now, for one summer night in the Studio, Yaeji invites audiences into her utopian world exploring cultural identity and self-reflection through her dreamlike house productions that morph from whispery confessionals to dancefloor burners.
Sydney Opera House presents Yaeji by arrangement with Penny Drop & Chugg Entertainment.
Waxahatchee & Kevin Morby – Sunday December 2, 7pm
Head-over-heels lovesick indie artists, Waxahatchee and Kevin Morby will soothe audiences with two solo sets in the Studio this summer. Since her last Australian performance in 2016, Waxahatchee released autobiographical fourth album, Out in the Storm, the blazing result of a woman reawakened. This vulnerable album cements Crutchfield as one of her generation’s most acclaimed songwriters who has made “a full-on career out of channeling romantic angst into gorgeous, heartstring-tugging melodic rock” (Fader). Now, in her Sydney Opera House debut, the Alabama-born singer-songwriter will play her confessional, indie-rock anthems alongside her latest EP Great Thunder, which pays homage to her Southern roots and a return to self.
With vocals and songwriting reminiscent of a modern Bob Dylan, Kevin Morby makes his long-awaited Australian debut bringing his indie-folk, Lou Reed-like sensibility to the Studio for a heart-stirring solo set. Morby first rose to prominence as the bass guitarist of folk-rock band Woods while also forming The Babies with Cassie Ramone of Vivian Girls, before embarking on a solo career in 2013. His captivating fourth album City Music is a crafted poetic collection of the American metropolitan experience and big city fantasies, evoking wanderlust and hopeless optimism for audiences this December.
Sydney Opera House presents Waxahatchee & Kevin Morby by arrangement with Handsome Tours.
Saba – Tuesday December 4, 8pm
First gaining widespread recognition through his collaboration with Chance The Rapper, it was West Chicago rapper and producer Saba’s meditative, grief-stricken album CARE FOR ME that put him in a league of his own. Rounding out the Studio shows in December, Saba (aka Tahj Malik Chandler) will perform this harrowing second album, an ode to his late cousin and best friend Walter Long Jr. that has been described by Pitchfork as “a marvel of craft, musicality and emotion”.
Sydney Opera House presents Saba by arrangement with Handsome Tours & Astral People.
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