YouTube sweetheart Kina Grannis returned for a single UK show in London after the new release of her second full length album ‘Elements’.
Supported by Jesse Epstein AKA Imaginary Future (formerly Imaginary Friend), the crowd paid their full attention to his serenading voice and mellow songs. He began his set with ‘Fire Escape’ off his latest album and spoke of the reason he wrote so many ‘sad’ songs. Jesse’s enchanting voice captured the audience, and looking around, a few people were wiping away tears from the emotion he portrayed across; when ending with ‘Chasing Ghosts’ and ‘I Knew This Would Be Love’.
Kina came onstage to a huge cheer, picked up her acoustic guitar and went straight into the first two tracks off her new album, ‘Dear River’ and ‘The Fire’, to which the audience sang along during the chorus and keenly listened through the verses. A guest was then introduced to accompany Kina for ‘Oh Father’ and ‘Winter’, Kate McGill (of Meadowlark) provided beautiful harmonies that added a subtle layer to the live performance, with support also from Jesse, with additional light riffs on the electric guitar. After sharing her thanks to everyone who supported her through YouTube and social media, the biggest cheers came as Kina sang the familiar ‘Valentine’ and ‘In Your Arms’ off her debut album.
Throughout the set, Kina had stories to share about the tracks on the album, from withering flowers to writing in a cabin in the woods to dealing with the inevitability of losing family members. Kina’s charming presence and modesty kept the crowd listening attentively throughout the entire set to which the crowd came up with a unique cheer/call to which Kina (and everyone else) found strange.
For her encore, Kina sang ‘Message From Your Heart’ fully stripped down, unplugging her guitar and without a microphone. It brought the entire crowd together as everyone sang along, with echoing ‘boms’ in the bridge. Finally, ending with ‘The One You Say Goodnight To’ where everybody clapped along creating a great sense of unity, reminding us the music can really bring a group of people together.