Isabel LaRosa proves she’s New York’s Favorite at Bowery Ballroom
Approaching from the corridors of Bowery Ballroom drenched in red light, pop-star-in-the-making Isabel LaRosa seemed to ask her audience the same question on stage as she does in her music, are we in heaven or hell?
The two might not be so different for Isabel LaRosa, a songwriter who, along with her brother and co-producer Thomas, has spent the last several years building a catalog of haunting pop music as seductive as it is sinister. The conventional monikers seem to evade LaRosa’s sensibilities. Bedroom Pop? That bedroom sounds pretty huge. Chamber Pop? Maybe if the Paris catacombs became a nightclub (which…would probably prove very popular.) Indie Pop? Insofar as Isabel and Thomas have shown an uncanny knack for making art on their terms, then LaRosa’s music is certainly independent. However, it’s difficult to imagine LaRosa’s music independent of an enrapt crowd of concertgoers.
And LaRosa’s recent show at Bowery Ballroom certainly provided that variable. In the packed halls of Lower Manhattan’s preeminent concert venue, Isabel LaRosa buoyed on stage with all the passion of a natural-born performer. Gliding from side to side, LaRosa met every corner of the audience, grinning as she delivered her hit song “Older.” Punctuated by Thomas’s distorted guitar licks, LaRosa’s vocals hopped from a preening falsetto to a matter-of-fact croon. “Think I need someone older,” she delivered intimately, the cheeky refrain echoed by dozens of fans toward the stage. As the show evolved, LaRosa’s performance became more grounded, standing still as she delivered the pleading “I’m Yours.” Yet even in these more tragic moments, LaRosa’s unbridled joy for her art shone through. It’s not always that a performer delivers their work with such a clear-eyed appreciation for their ability.
The most exciting moment of LaRosa’s performance was the debut of her latest single “Favorite.” Complete with bilingual Spanish and English lyrics set against a hypnotic tresillo rhythm, “Favorite” complements LaRosa’s darkest tendencies while veering into newer dancehall territory. As the crowd bounced along to LaRosa’s latest demented anthem, it became clear to me that I was in on a secret. Though her music might be best known from LaRosa’s TikTok, seeing Isabel and Thomas perform was an entirely different treat. Needless to say, if the LaRosas find their way back to New York anytime soon, they’ll find a warm welcome on the Bowery.
Isabel LaRosa’s Favorite EP is out an all streaming platforms