Tuesday night at Cleveland Height's Grog Shop, I took in an intimate show of R&B newcomer R.LUM.R. The Nashville native gained attention after getting momentum on Spotify by amassing 15 million streams. Spotify was so impressed by how well it performed on its platform, that they began to include his music in various playlists to get his name out there. It worked! His single "Frustrated" started getting spins on local radio stations, he dropped his first EP Afterimage in August, and landed his first television appearance on Jimmy Kimmel. Here a few observations I had while attending R.LUM.R's show.
1. The Land Embraced R.LUM.R
Although it was R.LUM.R’s first time in Cleveland, The Land very much took a liking to R.LUM.R’s show and his personality with open arms. Many concertgoers danced, sung along, and interacted with R.LUM.R in any way they could. The R&B crooner definitely enjoyed the spontaneous love-fest from his local fans.
2. Best Friends
The Phangs were the openers and the lead singer, Jake is best friends with Reggie Williams aka R.LUM.R.. Williams will also be the best man at Jake’s upcoming wedding.
3. He’s more than a Spotify Sensation
R.LUM.R is an insanely talented artist who captures the audience with his skilled guitar playing that’s reminiscent of John Mayer. During the middle of his set, it was just him, his powerful voice and the guitar. In that moment we were witnessing an artist becoming a star.
4. New Music
He performed a new track “I Need To Know” that was similar to his more mid-tempo tracks but has potential to become a pop ballad with radio play.
5. Everybody Love Frank
Frank Ocean was name dropped multiple times, from the audience, Phangs and R.LUM.R, which proves his relevance in pop culture. R.LUM.R performed a cover of Ocean’s more well-known hit, “Thinkin About You” and made it his own. The emotions he evoked and effortless guitar riffs throughout the song made it more than just a cover.
After the show, I spoke with R.LUM.R and expressed how his music helped me during a tough time and he was happy to hear that his lyrics and music helped me to move forward. Instead of taking a typical fan pic, I asked him to pose for my camera. Here's what I got from it.
