Top Left: Humble Beginnings. Sza, 2017.

In 2017, I had the pleasure of seeing Sza at the Ready Room in December. Earlier that year, I took a risk and listened to her album after it was recommended to me on Tidal. At the time I wanted to listen to more Black artists. After my second listen, I feel in love with the album, Ctrl. When it was announced that she would perform in St. Louis, I jumped at the chance of buying tickets. I even purchased VIP meet and greet tickets. Which at the time were only 15 dollars more than general admission. With this in mind Sza had already been nominated for Grammy awards. All this to say, her career took off. To this day Sza is one of my favorite artists. In the image above Sza is surrounded by pink lights as she serenades the audience. In this image I like how she is illuminated by one white spotlight. In 2017 her staging was minimal. If I were to attend her current tour, I'd capture a totally different atmosphere.

Top Right: Flow State. Mvstermind 2018

Early in 2018, wanting to get out more, I decided to experience a concert alone. As a single woman throughout all of my 20s, by the time I was 24 I decided that in order to experience life, I needed to stop waiting for a relationship. Attending a concert that sparked my interest allowed me to explore on my own, while also supporting a former classmate, as Mvstermind and I attended the same high school. During this show I enjoyed seeing performances from various artists. In the image above you can see Mvstermind frozen in time as he dances to his music. I have a still image of him as well, however I chose this photo for the Get Your Groove On Exhibition, to show excitement, movement and the joy that comes along with performing and attending a concert.

Bottom Left: Queen B, Beyoncé 2016.

Once Beyoncé announced the Formation tour, a good friend and I decided to attend in Houston. Seeing Beyonce perform in her hometown as my first concert was a dream come true. And our seats were fairly close to one of her stages. At the end of the night Beyonce and her dancers, performed in a pool of water that she kicked out onto the audience. This was truly an experience. The photo above, shows Beyoncé standing in a of water, as her dancers hold the symbol for Black power.

In all of the photos chosen for this exhibition, each one shows dynamic lighting. With this in mind, I am reminded of the many employees, like set and light designers, whom contribute to live performances.