Yola Packs the House Twice Over at The Atlantis

It’s not often in life that we get more of the thing we want. But with Yola, we were spoiled. Yola, originally from England, although openly enthusiastic about leaving, brought thoughtful, inspirational funk to The Atlantis on Monday and Tuesday, April 15th and 16th. A second show was added to her limited and intimate six-stop tour promoting her highly anticipated EP My Way, dropping May 24th. She explained to the wide-eyed and eager audience that they were the first ones to hear several of her new songs.

She enlightened about the inspiration and meaning behind most of the songs of the evening, including the new ones which came about from the modern and ubiquitous dating scene as well as taking a stand against her English home when finally having enough of them “being naughty” as the “OG colonizers”, as she aptly described of the UK. As she simultaneously and successfully performed a cheeky standup comedy act during her set, she regaled us with tales from her online dating experience as a successful black woman amidst intimated male counterparts and how she endured a “copy and paste exit strategy” whenever she broached the topic of her career with them. 

Her attention to the intricate details that we all share in our human experiences as well as highlighting her own differences is why her music is in a league of its own. Some of her new songs included “Ready,” Temporary,” “My Way,” and “Future Enemies,” one of which is her self-proclaimed “hoe song.” Demonstrating her labor of love and doing things her own way, she anecdotally shared that she and her drummer even have a deep understanding of what the other needs with a simple rhythmic grunt to which the other responds, “I know exactly what you mean.” What an incredible superpower that it’s probably too late for me to develop but certainly not too late for me to appreciate.

Yola is a longtime visitor of DC noting that The District was the first place in the States that she played sold out show. She lovingly remarked that she “will never not come to this city,” to which the audience erupted in approval. Her presence alone is vibrant, glamorous, and uplifting, quite frankly unworldly beautiful and breathtaking.  I’m amazed how Yola can make me even feel like a Grammy-award winning singer when I’m jamming out in my car—until the cover of her powerhouse voice fades out with the ignition and I’m left with my shrill rendition.

Yola, a woman of many talents, even made her film debut in 2022 in Baz Luhermann’s Elvis as Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the mother of rock and roll. Similarly in her own music, Yola aims to continue amplifying visibility and inclusion for black artists, and her new EP is no exception as she tackles ideas related to agency and progress in her own work. She noted to the crowd that the titular track of the EP speaks to finally getting a say in doing things exactly how she wants, despite common and played out prejudices that she’s endured all of her life and career which have limited or controlled her in the past. As her set was nearing a close, in that sassy, irreverent manner that she cultivated throughout the night, she joked with the audience that “we are gonna play that game,” referring to leaving the stage and waiting for the raucous cheers to bring her back for one more song. As she jokingly introduced her last song, the audience booed to which she said “you all are very good at this.” 

I cannot wait for Yola’s EP My Way to come my way on May 24th. Gaining speed faster than ever, Yola’s career is skyrocketing and taking us all with her.