Live Review: Teyana Taylor

New York R&B star Teyana Taylor has aired music since at least 2008, establishing herself as a dancer/choreographer before a brief association with Pharrell Williams' fold. She eventually signed to Kanye West's GOOD Music, having convinced him to let her sing on his opus My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. In 2014 Taylor premiered with VII. But she received unprecedented attention last June with the release of her second LP, KTSE (Keep That Same Energy), the finale of Yeezy's so-called 'Wyoming Sessions'. Taylor flexed her affinity for high neo-soul, with Ye returning to sample-based production. KTSE made 2018 'Best Of' lists.

Taylor is hitting Australia for the first time as a Vivid LIVE headliner, with an exclusive Melbourne concert the following night at The Forum. Alas, her visit has been afforded minimal publicity, with no interviews – a now common media strategy, post-Beyonce. Yet, auspiciously, Taylor has a dedicated local fanbase. Her show feels like a bumpin' R&B club night from the late '90s or early 2000s with its punter fervour. Warming up for Taylor is DJ Christian Dean, dropping girl-boss anthems by Destiny's Child through to Kehlani.

As with Kehlani, Taylor's aesthetic is broadly throwback '90s R&B. Live, the Harlemite is accompanied by a taut band and a troupe of dancers, her choreography fluid and elegant (Taylor did stun with those moves in West's Fade clip). Taylor pays homage to R&B queens such as Janet Jackson, Beyonce (she, too, has a power hair flip), Brandy, Toni Braxton and Syleena Johnson, while declaring her own space and sound. Taylor opens with a full No Manners, coincidentally also KTSE's hooky preface. Throughout the set, Taylor revels in her sensuality, with Hurry notably even slinkier than on record. Ahead of the subliminal 3Way, she invites a bashful audience member on stage.

Taylor raises the temperature with a grinding rendition of the trap banger Maybe, the lead single from VII featuring absent rappers Yo Gotti and Pusha T. She ensures that WTP (co-helmed by Mykki Blanco) is a house party in a track – part Frankie Knuckles, part C+C Music Factory.

R&B shows are often about sustaining high energy and flow. However, with Taylor, the real highlights come later when she lets songs like Issues/Hold On, a Melbourne fave, breathe, underscoring her underrated vocal prowess. She starts to chat freely, responding emotionally to the crowd. Taylor dedicates Never Would Have Made It, a classic slo' jam Faith Evans might covet, to the fans. But she saves the best for last with Rose In Harlem, her signature. Taylor performs for a solid hour, but the scope is such that it feels longer. Teyana Taylor is an experience.