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NoSo (Baek Hwong) is a guitarist and singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles, California who writes about the confusing, beautiful, and at times painful human experience on their debut album “Stay Proud of Me”.
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In the basement of a bar in central London, NoSo performed the entirety of “Stay Proud of Me” for London fans for the first time. Even though the album was only released on July 8th, the show was completely sold out.
Each song took the audience through chapters of Hwong’s experiences as an Asian American, queer non-binary person. Right from the start of the evening, it was as if NoSo put the crowd in a trance with their melodic storytelling and velvety vocals. From the sincere and introspective 'Parasites' to the upbeat dreamworld of 'David', NoSo took us all on their personal journey to becoming who they are today.
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Each song brought on various displays of participation from the audience. One moment the crowd was blissfully swaying along to the tune of 'Suburbia' and the next moment being swept up in the profound yet cheeky lyrics of 'Sorry I Laughed'.
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Even though “Stay Proud of Me” follows NoSo’s personal journey of growth and acceptance, the messages of their songs shine a light on moments that can relate to the experiences of growing up as someone who did not always see themselves represented in an authentic way. Being in the intimate setting of the London bar with NoSo’s music to guide us through the evening felt as though it was a safe place to come as you are. As they stated in a recent interview with NPR:
I hope other people are able to, I guess, fill in the blanks to their own narrative while listening to the album. Even though it's quite specific experiences that I have, I hope that people can listen to any of the songs and feel like they're seen or represented by it because when I was growing up, I felt like there wasn't a lot of music that spoke directly to me. And so regardless of background, I just hope, yeah, that people feel seen.
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The set ended with one of NoSo’s earlier releases, 'Allie’ and afterward they stuck around to say hello to fans and sign merch.
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Before they descended the stage, however, to the crowd's delight they announced that they will be coming back to London in 2023. It was truly an unforgettable evening with NoSo and we can’t wait to see them in London again next year.
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