DMV independent artist captured the “love” from global fans
By Natasha T. Brown
In the middle of Harlem, a couple from France, along with fans from Japan and Australia, stood within a group of DMV supporters chanting, “Ree-sa, Ree-sa, Ree-sa!” The DMV-bred Soul Singer Reesa Renee had just won first place at Amateur Night at the Apollo – the second person to do so in three years, with an original song, “Got Me Loose,” on October 5, 2011.
This weekend on December 8, 2012, The Apollo Theater invited Reesa Renee and her six-piece band back to perform a full set at the Apollo Music Café. The show was sold out. The audience response was no different. A globally and culturally diverse crowd was completely mesmerized by Reesa’s performance. During certain times, the right, left, and middle portions of the audience enthusiastically engaged in a “fist-pump” competition. Many songs received standing ovations. Reesa’s rendition of her hip-hop-pop record, “Wonderland Cool” even prompted new fans to partake in the choreography for the hook, “You can be FRESH, you can be COOL, you can be FLY, you can just BREATH.” Watch it here. This night was a reminder why the hip and lively artist won the Apollo in the first place and why her debut album Reelease premiered within the top 20 iTunes R&B Charts.
“To be able to leave home and get the support of home, feels great. I couldn’t think of a better venue to have it happen. Apollo made my dreams relevant to the world, and I am always grateful for a platform to share my gift, because without that, there’s nothing,” said Reesa Renee.
“I always make sure to show gratitude to people and venues for giving me the opportunity and when I get up there, I show my a--, and I make sure that every person in the room, staff, audience, supporters, everyone—FEELS ME. You’re gonna feel me, and you can’t deny feeling,” she said.
The Apollo Theater staff and crowd were certainly feeling Reesa’s performance. Check some of the tweets from the #ApolloMusicCafe hashtag.
@ApolloTheater
"@_VanitySixx: @ReesaRenee just killed #ApolloMusicCafe http://lockerz.com/s/267512266 " agree, pure fire!!
@Themdrums
Totally. Turnt. Up. @reesarenee #apollomusiccafe #MUSTWATCH by Apollo Theater - http://socialcam.com/s/EANegCEW
@LittleATXLady
Loved the energy at @ReesaRenee at the Apollo tonight! #ApolloMusicCafe
Excellent show with @ReesaRenee at #ApolloMusicCafe
Oftentimes, artists make music with the goal to conquer the city where they are from and become the most popular artist in their genre in that city. But the success of Reesa Renee, RatheMC and David Correy (DMV Artists and X-Factor Contestants); Marcus Canty and major acts such as Jay-Z, Rihanna, you name it – proves one thing. If you make good music, audiences everywhere will enjoy it. The place where you’re from doesn’t matter.As Reesa Renee would say, follow your dreams and your heart, and don’t hesitate to “Let it go. Let it out and Reelease,” your talent to the world. If you’re an artist, just focus on making universal music that people everywhere can enjoy, and it will be undoubtedly possible to elevate from stages in DC on to stages globally.
Visit ReesaRenee.com to learn more about this artist.
Natasha Brown is Reesa Renee’s publicist and a writer and founding communications strategist of Think Brown INK, a creative think tank and strategic communications agency in the Washington area. Follow her on Twitter @TBINatasha or @ThinkBrownINK.