It’s a sign of a superstar when you can command attention in an incredibly limited period of time. Doechii passed that test this week with two standout live sets, one on The Late Show and then her Tiny Desk Concert. The Grammy-nominated artist, who is label mates with SZA and released her excellent project Alligator Bites Never Heal earlier this year, needs no introduction. But in terms of making a wider audience pay attention, this is how you do it.
First up was her appearance on Wednesday night’s edition of Colbert. Late night sets can be pretty stuffy affairs, with an artist often pushed in front of an audience that may never have even heard their name before. Doechii did the smart thing and turned her attention to the audience watching on their screens. Her performance of “Denial Is A River” and “Boiled Peanuts,” two standout tracks on Alligator Bites…, was an exercise in precision. Backed by two dancers, the group were tied together by their braids and clad head to go in Gucci. They danced in perfect symmetry around the minimal staging and brought an air of theatricality to the stage that is often missing in these scenarios.
Thing were a bit looser for the Tiny Desk Concert with Doechii joined by an all-female band, including trumpet and saxophone players. The performance feels much more like being at a Doechii concert as she runs through songs such as “Catfish” and “Nissan Altima” with an infectious energy. The tempo drops for “Black Girl Memoir,” in which Doechii unpacks her trauma over a loose and jazzy beat. The whole thing is really impressive and you’d better bet demand for Doechii tickets is a lot higher now than it was a week ago.