Watch Saturday night when Bla'szé's WCPO Lounge Acts premieres online:
Perhaps the greatest challenge in writing about Cincinnati’s up-and-coming singer Bla'szé is attempting to describe her style.
Last year, Bla'szé performed at the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards and was nominated in the “R&B/funk/soul” category. Yet, even combining three genres isn’t quite enough to describe Bla'szé.
“I love to do all types of music,” she said during her WCPO Lounge Acts appearance at Northside Yacht Club.
“Whatever I’m feeling in the moment, that’s what it’s going to be,” Bla'szé said casually, seemingly unimpressed by her own versatility. “If I want to rap, I’m probably going to rap. If I want to sing a little more, I’m going to sing a little more.”
As talented as she is at singing, Bla'szé first pursued a dance career at the University of Cincinnati's College Conservatory of Music where she graduated in 2013 with her bachelor in fine arts in ballet. When injury sidelined her dance prospects, she turned her focus to singing.
“Being in ballet is really what I need to get the confidence to perform in front of people,” she said.
Bla'szé continued building her confidence on her recent debut album, “Energy.” It’s an album that Bla'szé said helped in “realizing the confidence I have to tell my story.”
The story “Energy” tells is not a linear one. It begins with the super-chill good-time R&B-style “Good Vibes,” bounces right into the rather explicit rap track “Everybody Like Me,” and then into the dance-pop single “Love Me Tonight.” Somehow, Bla'szé blends these genres fluidly around herself to shape a style of her very own.
As an audience, we’re left with only one word to describe Bla'szé's style of music: everything.
Watch Bla'szé's WCPO Lounge Acts performance from Northside Yacht Club when it premiers online Saturday night at 7 p.m. on Facebook or YouTube.
