Audrey Hobert grabbed her guitar, adjusted a blue scarf right above the saddle.
“Guys, will you let me play some acoustic songs?,” she asked the audience. The small crowd, gathered by a local radio station, felt enormous as a loud cheer erupted after her question.
Hobert, an emerging pop-artist, has played shows over the world following the release of her first single “Sue Me” giving fans the opportunity to meet her and attend intimate shows as she is on a steady incline with her career.
Her debut album, “Who’s The Clown?,” released on Aug. 15 this year after two lead singles “Sue Me” and “Bowling Alley” that were released throughout summer. During the album roll-out period, Hobert put on and sold out small acoustic shows and exclusive performances. She did not stop when the album came out, and she continued to put herself on stage from the United States all the way to Australia leading up to her first tour, Staircase to Stardom Tour, starting in December.
She has performed in several cities across Europe, Australia, and the United States. These shows have been possible through collaborations with different local radio stations, venues, and companies like Apple to be able to provide as many experiences as she can for fans.
When Hot 99.5, the local iHeart Radio station, announced an exclusive event and performance with Audrey Hobert, frantic and excited energy rushed in me. As I walked into the lobby of the Rockville iHeartRadio building, I saw staff set up a check-in table and began letting people into a small event room with food and drinks for guests. 30 minutes later, they opened the doors to another room – people rushed to get seats as close as possible.
Once the audience was settled, Audrey Hobert took the stage. Nick Gomez, WIHT radio host, held a short interview with her where they talked about her album, artists she has collaborated with, and shows she had played since the release of her album back in August.
“I’m gonna play one of my faves,” said Hobert followed by excited cheers. “Okay great, I’m glad you’re stoked,” she said, starting to play the first chords on the guitar.
The crowd was smiling, nodding along and whispering the lyrics to her calm, acoustic performance of the fun, up-beat song. The set was only two songs, so as she wrapped up “Thirst Trap” she began introducing “Sue Me.”
“Sue Me” was Hobert’s musical debut and the lead single for her album. It had a large impact on social media because of the danceable, up beat, and catchy nature of the song. The lyrics “Sue me I wanna be wanted,” are ones people resonated with and made it go viral.
On stage, she sang a slower, calmer, acoustic version of the song. More people knew the lyrics – the crowd was louder when singing this one. Looking around, I saw people looking at their friends and enjoying their time.
The room grew loud as she finished her set and went offstage ready to meet people. Everyone lined up and waited for her to come to the meet and greet area. Hobert took time with every single person in the room. She talked and took photos with all the guests.
When it got to my turn, I was naturally nervous, but she made me feel comfortable as she was genuinely interested in what we were talking about. She was incredibly kind and funny. The meet and greet portion was a great way to end the event.
Weeks after, people who attended the event still post and talk about it. It clearly was a memorable experience for everyone there.