Yuna Gives an Empowering Performance at Los Angeles Concert

Sandra Miska

Yuna, the singer-songwriter who is redefining what it means to be a pop star, performed at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Thrsday night and fans of all different backgrounds were there for her brand pop and R&B that puts an emphasis on female empowerment. 

Yuna, who was born and raised in Malaysia, is unique among other female musicians currently making waves. As a modern Muslim woman, she mixes tradition with the trendy when it comes to her personal style, and that evenining at the Fonda she donned a black turban with a sparkly black top and black vinyl pants, finishing off the look with a red vinyl jacket. The color red is especially significant to Yuna, as her latest album is titled “Rouge,” a color that she associates with confidence, something she certainly exuded on stage. 

While many female musicians talk a lot about the importance of women supporting each other, Yuna puts her money where her mouth is, employing an all-female band who joined her on stage in addition to her female background dancers. Decked out in all red, these dancers did more than just show off sweet dance moves, as their movements amplified the moods of the songs, particularly during “Forget About You” For this song about being haunted by an old love, the women moved around in white veils.

Like many women her age (32) or older, Yuna has most likely dealt with all kinds of emotions from romantic relationships and heartache, and this is reflected in many of the songs she performed at the Fonda, including “Lanes,” a tune about being fed up with a toxic relationship. “Lullabies,” a song for which Yuna appeared at her most vulnerable, has her addressing her first love, promising that they will be forever with her. One of the most moving songs of the evening, “Tiada Akhir,” wasn’t even in English, but Yuna’s emotions came through loud and clear during her stirring performance, nonetheless.

The crowd went wild for “Crush,” Yuna’s biggest hit to date, a song she recorded with Usher about the excitement of a new love. With all due respect to Usher, Yuna didn’t need him to bring down the house with this sultry number. While Usher was a no-show, Kyle came out to join Yuna on “Likes,” an upbeat song that deals not only with the superficiality fostered by social media, but also exemplifies Yuna’s struggles as a Muslim in the entertainment industry. 

But the biggest moment of the night came when none other than G-Eazy surprised a thrilled audience when he came out during the encore for “Blank Marquee,” a song about being used by a boyfriend. Adding to the excitement was the fact that Yuna dropped the video for the single on her official YouTube just hours before.

Just when the audience were led to believe that the show was over — many had even exited the venue at this point — Yuna and her dancers came out for one more high-energy number, one that summed up the theme of the evening — “Live Your Life.”

Yuna performed on July 25 at Fonda Theatre in Hollywood, CA.