This past weekend, I was lucky enough to win two tickets to go see Wasia Project live at Irving Plaza in New York City. New York was one of their 12 stops as Wasia Project traveled through the United States, and it was an experience I’ll never forget. If you don’t know who Wasia Project is, this tells me two things: you need to watch Heartstopper on Netflix, and you need to build your aura points by listening to their music. Wasia Project is an English pop duo consisting of siblings William Gao and Olivia Hardy. I discovered them through Gao’s role in Heartstopper a few years back, and have been obsessed ever since their song, “ur so pretty,” appeared in Season two, and again in Season three with “My Vine.”
Arriving at the venue 30 minutes before the doors opened, my friend and I had to circle the whole block to find the end of the line. Once we finally made it to the doors, we went in, picked up our tickets, and went straight for the stage. Part of me wishes I had picked something up at the merch booth, but I know we wouldn’t have had as good of a view from inside. When we found the stage, the floor was already packed with people. My friend and I were at quite a disadvantage since we are both pretty short, so being able to see the stage was a struggle. However, what more can we expect with general admission floor tickets? The venue was small, and I was shocked at the amount of people who could fit in the room, but it felt intimate and oddly comforting to be surrounded by people who were all as excited about the same thing as me.
After some time waiting, and making a video for the “I hope they play ‘HOT TO GO!’” TikTok trend, the opening act finally stepped onstage. This was Sabrina Sterling’s first time performing and opening for a concert. Even though she let us know she was dealing with a sore throat, her sweet and soft voice was gorgeous throughout her performance. She made a new fan out of me with her song, “Love Me That Way,” and sang a new song of hers called “byob” (Bring Your Own Beer) which was a gorgeous expression of memories of the best nights being the ones where her father was out of the house playing poker. Her sweet voice and darling stage presence found a spot in all of our hearts that night.
Once Sterling said her goodbyes, it was Wasia Projects’ turn! We all cheered and screamed as the lights came back up and Gao and Hardy came on stage. They, of course, started off strong with their new hit, “Is This What Love Is?” immediately pulling us in and setting the mood for the night. Throughout the night, Hardy captured the audience with her absolutely angelic voice in all of their songs, but especially in “Takes Me Back Home” and “My Vine.” Gao killed it on the piano, throwing in riffs and solos as we all cheered him on. My favorite songs of the night had to be “ur so pretty,” of course, as it is my original favorite, and “Petals on the Moon,” as we all jumped and sang along with Hardy. The band’s energy was amazing, from the music to their playful stage banter. After an amazing set and taking their bows, we all chanted for an encore. They returned with more of their heavenly songs, and even threw in a cover for us. Cheering as we recognized the song, we sang along to Sade’s “Smooth Operator” before Gao and Hardy instructed each side of the room to sing the lyrics, “smooth operator,” and, “coast to coast, LA to Chicago, western male,” at the same time, building the bonding energy in the room. Then, they ended the night with a big crowd energizer: their song “Burning Eyes R Calling.”
Whenever I go to a concert, I always leave feeling like I’m in a fever dream, and this night was one ethereal fever dream that I never want to forget. This tour is a must-see in my book, and Wasia Project isn’t staying in America for long. Only six cities are left, from LA to Chicago, so go see them, and don’t get mad at me if I never stop talking about that night!