Live music has a way of transforming moments into memories – the kind you carry with you long after the lights fade. On opening night of her Turned Into Me Tour in Cologne, Germany, Rachel Grae didn’t just sing; she radiated. Her vocals were magical, her energy lit up the room, and her uplifting presence was beyond anything I’ve ever witnessed. We were mesmerized. If you haven’t decided to go see her live yet, let me give you every reason why you should go see this angel perform whenever you get the chance.
For two years, we begged Rachel to give us a tour in Europe and we definitely manifested it. There’s nothing more frustrating than being a fan of an emerging artist who only tours in the U.S. but never really crosses the ocean to our side of the world. But the stars have aligned and she played her first European show in Cologne last night.
Watching someone perform live whose presence and music have been a crucial part of your healing journey is an important memory you will carry with you for a lifetime. Getting to sing all these amazing songs back to her felt very therapeutic and I think that we can all agree that we needed this. And let’s just say, us meeting was long overdue and has become a core memory I will continue to speak about for years to come. But let’s get into the show, shall we?
The setlist was a mix of some of our favorite songs, but she also gave us a sneak peek into her sophomore album that will hopefully be ours very soon. While we were absolutely obsessed with Run With The River and Tell Me Why, we were truly blessed with Come A Day; a fan-favorite that could be released any week now. To show Rachel our love during this very vulnerable song, we held up papers in different colors that had positive words of love and encouragement written on them. Let’s just say, we broke her and watched her avoid crying by laughing with no end in sight. After she collected herself again, we got to hear the full song and even though it’s not out yet, we knew all the words – she didn’t see that one coming.
Getting to hear Outsider live for the first time – the song that introduced me to Rachel and her incredible music – I don’t think I could ever put into words how wholesome that was. The same goes for Enough Of Me and, one of my absolute favorite songs and my top song on Spotify last year, Do Better. That’s all I needed to hear and I got so much more. There’s nothing like screaming lyrics back and forth with an artist you love and your vocal cords may pay for it the next morning, but it’s always worth it.
While Rachel writes a lot of heartfelt sad songs that have helped a lot of us find our paths to healing, she has also given us some upbeat bangers such as You Suck, Raised By A Woman and How To Be Alone which really help you get all your anger and feelings out at a live show. For You Suck, she asked the crowd if anyone got cheated on recently and/or had gone through a heartbreak. And of course she dedicated the song to the guy who mistreated a girl standing front row – we were all here for it and joined in, letting our anger out towards someone who hurt our new friend.
The whole setlist gave us everything we wanted and more. Songs like Colorblind and Friend Like Me were very nostalgic to hear and we totally screamed our favorite line:
“Where would your loyalties lie, if you lied about loyalty?”
from I Think You’re In Love like someone told us: “Say it louder for the people in the back!”
We delivered.
Not speaking about the effect Hope You’re Proud had on the crowd would be a crime but the pain we all felt in that room wasn’t quite crime-less though. If you have ever experienced grief, you would have been in tears hearing Rachel deliver the utmost beautiful live version. It might have hurt reliving those hurtful memories, but I think it also healed a few broken souls by the time she sang the last note.
Of course, I haven’t forgotten the kinda twisted love song Murder The Man which we all love and the emotional masterpiece that is the medley of How Dare You and The Best which also caused a few tears in the front row. Now let’s get into the work of art that is Safe With Me.
To Rachel, the song is about protecting other people’s peace and kind of losing your own at the same time. She continued explaining how she struggled with that for a long time until she literally wiped herself clean and had nothing left to give. Knowing the story behind it and it resonating with your own personal experience, it’s safe to say that it holds a lot of meaning. At the end of the day, we all connect someone from our past to these lyrics. If you don’t, lucky you.
And last, but most certainly not least: Rachel’s most recent release Need Your Love. Lip-syncing it for a short TikTok and screaming it in person are two very different things. How fun is it, that we are fortunate enough to live in these moments fully and make memories that will last a lifetime?
No one will ever understand how much that concert meant to me and everyone who needed exactly that too. Rachel’s impact cannot be measured nor will there ever be enough or the right words to express the importance of having an artist whose music has changed your life in more ways than she will ever know.
What a lot of people don’t clock is that artists like Rachel who are running therapeutic pop, will remind you of those wounds and past trauma you’ve avoided to deal with and have buried deep down with no intention to ever deal with it again. But they will also provide you with music that will hold your hand through that healing process and make you feel valid and never alone with anything you’re dealing with. I’m speaking from experience so I know it’s true.
After finally meeting Rachel, I can officially say that she really is pure sunshine in human form. I’ve never met anyone whose aura radiates so much positivity and kindness. If you have someone in your life who recharges your batteries and knows how to heal your heart in ways no one else can: keep them forever and cherish every single moment they’re around you. I can tell you that post grae depression is real right now and it will take at least 7 business days for me to recover and process. This is not guaranteed by the way.
So let’s conclude this concert review which is basically a long letter of pure gratitude for someone who has made my life so much brighter since the day she became a part of it. Rachel met every single fan who stayed after the show and took the time to show love and appreciation to each one. And I finally got to meet one of my favorite people, one of the biggest blessings the universe ever sent me and someone I am lucky enough to call a forever friend.
If you have the time and would love to support an emerging artist, I encourage you to always buy the ticket. All I can say is that seeing Rachel Grae do what she does best, looking absolutely stunning, has to be one of the best things I’ve ever experienced and I promise I’m not exaggerating.
So make the trip, bring everyone you know and you will be blessed beyond belief with memories to carry in your heart forever.
And to Rachel: you really came along and you changed everything. Thank you. Until we meet again.
ROARA Magazine 