Pop artist UPSAHL brings electric Melt Me Down tour to Austin.
UPSAHL is the stage name of rising pop star, Taylor Upsahl. She’s written for the likes of Dua Lipa and Reneé Rapp and collaborated with Alan Walker and Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park. With two albums, three EPs and many singles including new releases, “Summer So Hot” and “Tears on the dancefloor,” under her belt, she’s back on stage for her second headline tour.
The show started with two openers: Zoe Ko and Conor Burns. Ko performed originals such as “Pink Noise” (co-written by UPSAHL) and a cover of Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback girl” that warmed up the crowd. Conor Burns brought a more pop-punk Y2K style that also raised the energy.
UPSAHL took the stage in an electric blue outfit backlit by a neon ice cube sign. This started the first part of the set: ice.
What makes an UPSAHL show so incredible isn’t just her amazing voice and songwriting, but how she optimizes the live experience. She has a decently large music catalog but can still play most of it in one night because of how swiftly she moves through the setlist. She might not play the entirety of every song, but she plays the best parts and creates seamless transitions into the next tracks. The live versions also emphasize guitar and drum parts that her live band can expertly perform.
At the midpoint, UPSAHL ran off stage for a quick costume change. The neon sign switched to a flame for the second half of the show: fire. UPSAHL surprised fans by running through the crowd in her new red outfit to return to the stage.
Another highlight was when UPSAHL brought out her younger sister, Ryan. The two used to sing together as kids in their hometown of Phoenix, so they appropriately sang an acoustic duet of UPSAHL’s song “Arizona.”
UPSAHL ran into the crowd again to sing “Lunatic,” a great song to jump and go all out on. She finished the show with an encore and final part of the set: water. The two final songs “People I don’t like” and “Sad Sorry After Party” brought a close to a great night.
I am an Austin, TX based filmmaker and photographer. I moved from Houston to attend the University of Texas at Austin, where I graduated in 2022. I'm a lifelong music lover and spend most of my weekends attending shows. Some recent favorites are K. Flay, Devon Again, and Farmer's Wife. Other than that, I enjoy reading, writing, playing volleyball, yoga, and gaming.
