NOTION Magazine announced their live concert series BLOOM, a new European artist development tour designed to support emerging artists at key moments in their live careers. A beautiful initiative to give talented artists a little push in the right direction. And even though their first headlining artist was already doing just fine on her own, we are happy to see NOTION acknowledging the undeniable talent that is Nectar Woode.
The UK singer made her final tour stop in Berlin, Mikropol. This time around she gathered three talented ladies to form the band joining her on stage, creating a beautiful intimate live setting. The night promised a trip down memory lane through her amazing discography while also treating the crowd to brand new, exclusive live renditions of songs from her upcoming project Naturally.
The show opened with ‘Head Above Water’ from her critically acclaimed project of the same name. Nectar immediately got to show off her pitch-perfect voice, setting the tone for the night. The live rendition of the song made clear it was a brilliant idea to bring together a band for this tour. The ladies brought that extra energy and harmonies that gave the music such a beautiful extra layer. The whole visual of all the elements melting together clearly worked its charm on the crowd, who were two-stepping away to the soulful music.
Nectar played her brand new release ‘Rivers End’ and, to her surprise, fans could already sing along to the gorgeous song. “If you can sing along to the words already I’ll give you a firm handshake, it’s only been out for a week!” Here at Clean we’re usually not massive fans of comparing artists, but we couldn’t help seeing a beautiful comparison between Olivia Dean and Nectar Woode after seeing both talented singers live within such a short period of time. And honestly, if Olivia’s success is any indication of what’s to come for Nectar, we’re sure she can handle it.
The upcoming project is promising to be incredible. The neo-soul songs she performed for us tonight were each a treat to the ears. Obviously the title track ‘Naturally’ is a force and the beautiful unreleased ‘Roses In The Dark’ once again showed off her vocal range. It was however the powerful ‘Lights Off’ that excited us the most. The song, written about struggles within the music industry, brought a different energy into the room. The more up-tempo production came with an almost chanting chorus that demanded attention towards the singer.
We were not just there to enjoy a beautiful show, we had to play our part and join the singer as her choir. Nectar brought her sister Ama on stage to sing along to the song written for her, ‘Ama Said’. Besides Ama being on stage, we all got to sing along too. While Ama stood there smiling, the crowd loudly sang her name together. Another perfect sing-along moment came during our favorite song ‘How It’s Gotta Be’. And trust us, the crowd was loud for this one in the most beautiful way possible.
We were in for yet another exclusive when Nectar Woode introduced her new song ‘Wine Into Water’. She explained the beautiful piano ballad only deserved the best of the best, so why not shoot your shot and send Elton John an email asking him to join the song. It should come as no surprise he stepped into the studio with her, as the legend is known for recognizing and supporting upcoming talent. The song is truly beautiful and we can’t wait to hear it again once it’s officially released.
The night ended on a high with the funky ‘Stick Fight’. The perfect way to close the show with full energy. We all danced along while watching the evening slowly come to an end. As a final little treat we even got the chance to meet her in person afterwards. She’s everything you expect her to be: fun, elegant and kind-hearted. Nectar, your future is so bright.