Grey Comes Front and Center | Beatweek ::
“….last month I told you that Skylar Grey is the future of pop music, and last night at the Roxy she took another step toward proving it….her own solo material is percolating ahead of the eventual release of her debut album. And aside from a few minutes in which she sat down at the piano to remind people of the places in which they’ve heard her collaborative work, her Roxy set was all about strutting her own stuff.
Pouncing around the stage, belting out rockers like Weirdo and Dance Without You, she uses her lyrics to tell the story of her own past life, the one where she didn’t have a tenth this much confidence, the one she’s so emphatically divorced herself from that she even changed her name in order to help change her mindset. Weirdo still sounds like it’s eventually going to be the biggest hit of the bunch, but the focus for now is officially on the mid-tempo lead single Invisible, which not coincidentally deals with the same subject matter. I saw her perform largely the same batch of songs this summer at a venue out in the suburbs. I was impressed with her performance then. I’m more impressed now. The confidence and polish are growing. The Roxy was sold out last night and packed with people, some of whom knew the words to some of her songs which haven’t even been released….I stand by my assessment that she’s the future. It looks like more people are starting to come to the same conclusion….”
Grey Steps Into Spotlight | L.A. Times ::
“….perched behind a piano on the tiny stage of the Roxy on the Sunset Strip, Skylar Grey reminded the sold-out crowd why she has amassed such an industry buzz.
“Over the past year and a half, I’ve had a fortunate time with music,” she said before launching into a medley of the ubiquitous pop hooks that put her on the map….prerequisite medley aside, Grey previewed tracks from her upcoming debut album, “Invinsible,“ using her first Los Angeles showcase to illustrate that she’s more than just hip-hop’s go-to hook girl.
When Grey was the cover girl of L.A. Times Magazine in June, she said she didn’t want to be seen as looking for attention by dressing a certain way, and she reinforced this on Wednesday night: With little more than smoke, shadows and a backing band, Grey emerged onstage in her de facto look: a beanie, leather jacket, jeans and boots.
“We’ve kept a mysterious launch to my whole career,” Grey told the magazine. “I want to ease into the view of the world and let my music do the talking.” That mystery remains present: She sang most of the thumping opener, “Building a Monster,“ with her back to the crowd.
Her music pushes and pulls at the edges of pop/rock and peddles the same epic cinematic landscapes as the hooks she penned. Songs such as “Dance Without You,“ an anthem about independence, and “Weirdo,“ are radio-ready, while others such as “Tower” and “Final Warning” brim with a dark loneliness that might prove tougher to digest for some.
“Invisible,“ her somber first single, is instantly catchy, with poignant lyrics of isolation and inadequacy, though it is odd to see the mid-tempo sitting on Billboard’s Dance/Club chart alongside Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez and Lady Gaga.
Grey explained this stylistic blend to the magazine, saying she was “able to create a sound that is very commercial, but there are also elements of avant-garde. I don’t think anybody’s doing what we did on this album.” Her appearance at the Roxy didn’t completely answer the question of who this singer is — but maybe she wants it to remain that way….”
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