Taking a night off from her NYU finals week, singer-songwriter Hannah Jadagu blessed the World Cafe Live stage with a showcase of singles from her forthcoming debut LP, Aperture.
One of Sub Pop’s newest additions, Jadagu’s entrancing blend of indie rock and laid-back R&B offered a welcoming kick-off to NON-COMM’s first night. Her recital was reminiscent of 2019 Willow Smith, offering elements of 80’s pop production and indie rock mixed with unique ambient atmospheres and R&B grooves. While a mere 25 minutes, her set shed light on the stretched rubber band lifestyle that a 19-year-old college student faces; trying to simultaneously balance and wear the hats of both a student and a budding rockstar. She opened with her 2022 single “Say It Now”, delivering a performance that simultaneously felt large enough to fill a packed stadium yet delicate and intimate enough to be played in a lonely bedroom.
Other highlights included “What You Did,” and the fan favorite “Warning Sign,” both hitting hard as the audience danced and nodded their heads along to the soaring melodies and infectious beats. However, as the lights dimmed and the crowd became awash with a soft blue flood, Jadagu closed her set with “Admit It.” Like a prom scene straight out of an 80’s high school movie, a slow backbeat from Jacob Stockman struck the crowd, encouraging numerous slow dances throughout the pit. Bassist Garrett Chabot took over on guitar and began crying a smooth and beautiful melodic line. She sang “I will admit I want to be there for you / all of the times that you have helped me through.”
Jadagu’s delicate vocals drenched in reverb and supported by her backing band perfectly encapsulated the entirety of the emotionally moving set: a struggle wrought with difficulty yet faced head-on with overwhelming perseverance.
While the crowd yearned for more, Hannah herself prefaced the outing with a statement that certainly rang true, “A short set is a good set.” Those eager fans need not wait long for her return; however, as Hannah Jadagu is set to take the stage at PhilaMoca on Wednesday, September 6th as part of her upcoming Aperture Tour.