Yeule brings her North American tour to White Oak Music Hall in Houston with special guest SASAMI.
yeule (and we’re not talking about the Final Fantasy character Paddra Nsu-Yeul) is THE electro-pop singer of the decade. Born as Nat Ćmiel, yeule is a singer/producer from Singapore who specializes in experimental pop sounds with inspirations from artists like Björk and Grimes. After self-releasing three well-written EPs since 2014, they signed to Bayonet Records in 2017 and later released two albums: Seretonin II and Glitch Princess. It was known from the start that yeule was an automatic game-changer, as they created a narrative with their albums through lyrics, appearance, design and storytelling. Through genre-bending sounds and emotion, yeule earned a loyal fanbase and captivated the world. They sought out on a North American tour in 2023 to support their third album softscars (released early September 2023), with a stop in Houston’s very own White Oak Music Hall.
To start off the fine Tuesday night, singer-songwriter SASAMI strutted on the stage to the backing track “Bitch Better Have My Money” by Rihanna before starting to play her track “Figure It Out.” The singer released her second studio album Squeeze last year, which incorporated heavy metal and rock elements to both her live performances and sound – extremely different to her pop origins. She reverted back to her pop sound and performed multiple unreleased songs from future projects. During her set, she continuously checked on Houston and made sure they liked what she played. When the singer asked “Who saw me play with Japanese Breakfast last time I was here?” the crowd cheered LOUD. She summoned the “heavy metal gods” and played a heavy riff while the crowd moshed, as most fans were expecting the heavy metal performance from Sasami. Regardless, she played her unreleased tracks with such spirit and passion, the fans loved her set anyway.
Yeule took the stage soon after and started off with a solo acoustic version of the track “Don’t Be So Hard on Your Own Beauty,” as the crowd stood in silence. Their band (which included Sasami on guitar) came out and started performing tracks from their third album, such as “bloodbunny,” “software update” and the titular “softscars.”
The non-binary singer was having the time of their life on stage as they partook in theatrical dancing, interacting with fans through banter. While getting ready for the song “ghost,” yeule and the band even talked about their Buc-ee’s experience as everyone cheered. They ended their set with the everlasting “aphex twin flame” and their well-known song “dazies.” It was an ethereal night and experience all brought together by the eclectic singer and her amazing backing band. Through quaint lyricism, a perfectly curated setlist and immense stage presence, yeule remains a true star in the electro-pop world.
I'm a full-time music journalist/photographer from Houston, number one Paramore fan and Husky dog owner. I have a B.S in Radio-Television-Film from UT Austin and a M.A in Mass Communications from the University of Houston, which makes me smart! On top of being an avid concert-goer and movie fanatic, I love bonding with others over the power of local music and media.
