Destin Conrad's visuals and vocals dominate Paradise Rock Club

What better way to spend my leap day (Feb. 29) than seeing Destin Conrad perform the tour for his two-part album, SUBMISSIVE and SUBMISSIVE2, at the Paradise Rock Club? Destin Conrad dominated the SUBMISSIVE Tour stage with a night full of harmonious tunes, vibrant lights, and impressive vocal performances! Destin Conrad gained traction initially on the app Vine, accumulating over 1 million followers. Since then, he has collaborated with artists like Masego, Musiq Soulchild, and Alex Isley. Destin Conrad continues to break barriers as a queer artist of color whose identity is reflected in his music and aesthetic. Upcoming alternative R&B and neo-soul artist, Amaria was the opening act whom performed a handful of spectacular, original pieces such as “Lose Control.” Both Destin Conrad and Amaria are Tampa-natives with similar silky, angelic vocal styles so, her presence on this tour was a no brainer. Amaria also made a guest appearance in Destin Conrad’s set to duet their song “All For You” which impeccably (and thematically) matches the vibes of SUBMISSIVE.

Before the SUBMISSIVE Tour, Destin Conrad joined his longtime friend and fellow R&B artist, Kehlani, on her Blue Water Road Trip tour. As well as acconpanying Syd, member of The Internet, on their Broken Hearts Club tour. Destin Conrad has come a long way, earning the headliner position tonight by bringing an amazing mixture of smooth, soulful vocals layered on top of soft, catchy beats. He began performing some of his new tracks from SUBMISSIVE including “MARIPOSA” and “OFF DAT SHIT (FREESTYLE).” These upbeat, spunky tracks open the album so they perfectly set the tone to open the setlist! Alongside the tracks from his newer albums, he performed the beloved tracks off his first album, COLORWAY, “BILL$” and “EXCITED!” Fans erupted in excitement and sang along in unison, swaying to the repeated “Dollar bills, dollar, dollar bills,” of the chorus. I was most excited to hear him perform some of his newer music like “WAR!” and “SWITCH” which are more sultry, seductive songs. The most iconic aspect of “WAR!” are the silly ad-libs, which Destin Conrad playfully relayed to an enthusiastic audience. Following these songs, he sang “IN THE AIR” which also happens to be his most popular song on Spotify. This song is an earworm that I have had on repeat so, I was particularly enchanted by his rendition of this song. Singing each note so seamlessly, I was shocked to hear Destin Conrad sounded just as good, if not better performing live. I patiently waited to hear the song that led me to Destin Conrad’s music in the first place, “UNPREDICTABLE” which is an addictive R&B collaboration with artist Kiana Ledé. It is hard to imagine this track without the incredible vocals of Kiana Ledé yet, Destin Conrad made the song his own, completely blowing the performance away.

Overall, Destin Conrad’s SUBMISSIVE Tour was a phenomenal concert experience marked by extraordinary performances. This was one of those concerts that has you falling back in love with an artist or album you already listen to, because the live experience was so remarkable. The fluorescent, rainbow-changing lights intensified the queerness and aesthetic pleasure of the performance. The curation of the setlist was deliberate, as each song flawlessly flowed into one another keeping a continual soul-soothing, rhythmic vibe throughout the performance. Amaria and Destin Conrad’s sounds worked so well together which is a rare occurrence between an opening act and main performer. Destin Conrad performed an ample blend of his current music alongside older hits and fan favorites. Although his discography is on the smaller side, Destin Conrad had a jam-packed setlist with the right amount of music keeping the audience engaged without dragging it out. If you are looking for a concert with some chill, feel good ambience, then I wholeheartedly recommend seeing Destin Conrad in concert.