Yuna
By: Arlene Ibarra
With aesthetic beauty reminiscent of Billie Holiday and a voice mashing up the soothing sounds of Norah Jones meets Sade, I was blessed to see Yuna perform at The Casbah this past week.
The Casbah was a packed house when my date and I arrived at 10:30pm, moments before Yuna entered the stage dressed in an all black, modest yet sophisticated ensemble. Arms, legs and even hair covered; the focus was not on fashion but voice and song. The red lights dimly lit the stage of the famous venue and the crowd intently hung on every word, hugging their dates, as I did when I wasn’t shooting along.
Her songs were uplifting and melodic, something I would listen to during a romantic evening in, while cooking dinner for my beloved or while on a relaxing vacation. Even the more upbeat songs had a sexy melody that made you want to dance against someone…if you know what I mean. Songs of love, heartbreak and the usual thoughts of any young woman were delivered in a fashion that everyone could relate to.
Yuna spoke a bit in between songs about the origin of each, very sweet and almost shy. She hit me dead in the heart when did something new at the end of the show and covered a favorite of mine, “Thinkin’ Bout You” by Frank Ocean. It was a beautiful rendition, almost equal to the original.
This was my first time hearing Yuna perform live and I became a fan automatically. If she performs in San Diego again, best believe I will be there.