into the World of Fousheé: A NYC Night Where Genres Collide and Magic Unfolds

A new fan beholds a new chapter on an artist's first headlining itinerary tour in North America, which includes eight dates of live performances. On Tuesday, November 26th, the hyphenated artist Brittany Fousheé, formally known as Fousheé, introduces to the Music Hall of Williamsburg: Pointy Heights. The tour name is the same as her second release album, Pointy Heights. She later credits the album to her matrilineal Jamaican grandfather during her stage banter.

Sauntering past the dark hall before the concert begins lies a mixture of a spatial floor and a soiree of oriented peers conversing among each other, standing in front of an empty stage with purple and orange stage lights shining on the band's stage plot. The band's setup represents the artistry of Fousheé; the musical instruments serve as outlets to a myriad of musical genres, the same way Fousheé is a vessel aligned with lines of different musical genres. The attire of the oriented peers that await Fousheé's greatness is fashionably a reflection of the musical genre she represents: Alternative. While the supporters wait, the production crew is still in the process of setting crowd control barriers. Ensuring prophylactic measures are taken for the sake of the performing artist and fans.

Classic Jamaican records like Shabba Rank's Ting-A-Ling keep the audience laid back and grooving. Noticeably, Ghost Dance by Prince Duster plays after, which is a sample used for Fousheé's record, War on Pointy Heights. It would be safe to assume that reggae, ska, and dancehall may play a theme in the aesthetics of the show.

The venue gradually started increasing with more people. However, the audience became more imbued with energy when the opening act, DJ Hu Dat, made her appearance with the spotlight gazing at her, changing the ambiance of the venue from a nonchalant mood to an alacrity mood. DJ Hu Dat briefly gave the audience a formal introduction of herself, also rendering an explanation to her setlist being the representation of what Fousheé is culturally—a cross-cultural pollinated artist.

Hu Dat then takes aura control over the venue by diverting the sonic frequency that dictates the crowd control by interacting with the turntable and mixer. She opens up with a hip-hop record by Don Toliver's Luckily I'm Having, featuring Teezo with a fast 144 BPM track that fast-paced the crowd into a melodic rollercoaster. The audience felt seismic when Tyler The Creator's Earfquake shook the venue, which most likely introduced New Yorkers to their first time experiencing a jishin-yoi. DJ Hu Dat stirred up the melting pot with placements of yardie classics in her setlist, such as Beanie Man's Dude featuring Ms.Thing & Shawwna's remix, Spice's So Mi Like It, The World Bos's Vybz Kartel's Fever and Welcome to Jamrock by Damian Marley. She includes subgenres of Dance music in her setlist with New Jersey's very own Jersey Club bops: Destiny's Child's Say my name with Dj Merk's twist; and Miami's Bass My Boo by Ghost Town Dj. She gave dancing moments to fans so they could enjoy the experience. The closing of the opening-set ends with nostalgic street mongrel riddim "Throat Goat" by Gage gracefully.

Entering the intermission, the background music retrograded back to 1970's reggae sound. The iconic Jamaican soundtrack The Harder They Come, The Harder They Fall by Jimmy Cliff, which Jimmy Cliff starred in the iconic movie himself, was disseminated throughout the venue. Standout tracks like Living Dangerously by Barrington Levy featuring Bounty Killer that eventually segue into crazy bald head by Bob Marley became pipe-in music. While observing this as a new fan, the demeanor of devoted fans cascaded throughout the venue of simultaneous, tumultuous chattering. The sight of crowd watching from the mezzanine reveals a full house on the floor.

Drummer and bassist Tobias Kelly and Jake Strate walk on stage from the left wing entrance with the gait of rockstars. Fans celebrate the most anticipated main course after the fulfilling, appetizing opening act. The two supportive acts get in their positional roles for the performance during the applause. Tobias Kelly does the honor of saying in the language of his drum kit that it was Diana Ross's house, Risco Connection's house, but now it's Fousheé's house.

Fousheé sprints from the right-wing entrance of the theater for her opening song, birds, bees. She now demands attention from the atmosphere in her 1970s-inspired-anachronistic-modern gothic leathered outfit with the divulging black leathered fringe finger-gloves. Her long blonde hair is a distinguishable factor that gravitates toward her being a headliner from the rest of the acts. She now captivates the crowd while multitasking, singing in front of the microphone and playing her black electric guitar.

To answer Fousheé's second track: Do you have a soul? Fousheé's fandom answers with their soul that they have a soul in their body. A spiritual call and response was tethering the performing artist and the audience. Subsequently, Fousheé greets her fans in the front of the stage by shaking their hands. Which only made it suitable for the tertiary track: Feel Like Home to be next. The establishment of hospitality was bilateral between the two. The comfort she showcased during the performing breaks, whether she performed a guitar solo like Charlie Christian or had a solo dancing moment like Chaka Khan for Rice and Pea's, still amazingly boosted the crowd's engagement.

The supportive acts, Tobias Kelly and Jake Strate would alley-opp assists for soothing transitions. They would accommodate Fousheé, along with her great showmanship, to deliver incredible moments for each track. Tobias displayed drum solos, with Jake complimenting with Bass, which was the introductory for Still Around.

Not a single soul that witnessed Fousheé felt excluded. Fousheé included herself in the middle with the moshers formulating a moshpit for Stupid Bitch. The song was arguably the most aggressive, energetic record that performed that night. Everybody, in unison, was rightfully considered a mosher when Fousheé participated amongst her fans. The closing song, flowers, was Fousheé, Tobias, and Jake's exit. However, the fandom repudiated the acceptance of letting the night end that way without an encore. Their encores must've gotten closer to God because Tobias and Jake rushed out the same way it began, returning to their positional roles. Fousheé shortly ran out to the stage as well with her bandmates to give them one more impactful moment that the audience won’t forget. The Encore record the band performed was Candy Grapes. Giving the grace for a proper exit for Fousheé, while her bandmates contribute to a dramatic drum and guitar solo. 

Overall, the show was an amazing experience for a new fan who appreciated the studio version of Pointy Height monumentally. The live experience provided an edifying point of view of one layer: the connection between Reggae, Ska, and Punk music. The Renaissance Woman, Fousheé, a product of cross-cultural pollination, embodies the elements by cultivating them into a compound. Utilizing this compound in her artistic arsenal made the perfect execution of a wonderful show for her veteran fans and newer fans.