Dawn Richard @ Empire Control Room (SXSW pics / review)

March 21, 2016

Shapeshifting R&B singer Dawn Richard was one the artists we were excited to see at SXSW. We caught her Thursday night (3/17) at the FACT showcase at Empire Control Room, and she did not disappoint. After doing time in Danity Kane and Diddy Dirty Money, Dawn (aka D∆WN) kicked off a solo career in 2011 and she’s currently about to wrap up an album trilogy. It began with 2013’s GoldenHeart, continued with 2015’s BlackHeart, and will conclude this year with RED*emp*tion.

Her set was pretty diverse sounding, and included the great recent single “Dance.” Dawn sang and danced on stage in front of a light-up color-changing triangle (like the one in her name), often flanked by two sheer-shirted male dancers. She also had a small backing band, including a drummer (in a Cannibal Corpse t-shirt) and a keyboardist. They were super full sounding, and Dawn’s clearly a natural as far as singers and performers go. She also had no trouble commanding the audience. It wasn’t the biggest crowd in the world, but it seemed like almost everyone there either came specifically for her or instantly got won over.

More pictures of her set, below…