On an eerily warm evening for mid March in New York, hundreds of people dressed in mystical attire, including fairy wings, corsets, and lace-up boots lined up outside of Webster Hall for a sold out concert headlined by British singer-songwriter Paris Paloma.

Paris creates art about the experience of being a woman and covers topics such as love, death, power, and loss. Her sound pulls from indie, folk, and dark pop genres, and her songwriting is inspired by mythology, art history, and poetry. She first gained viral traction following the release of her empowering anthem, “labour,” back in early 2023. Her debut record, Cacophony, was released nearly a year and a half later and cemented her status as one of the most powerful storytellers currently in the music industry.

The folk-pop sibling duo Sarah Julia opened the night before Paris went onstage. It was the sisters’ first time playing in New York, and their set was absolutely mesmerizing. When the lights dimmed, fans immediately began to cheer before Paris walked out wearing a beautiful dress. She played the majority of Cacophony, in addition to “notre dame,” “the fruits,” and “The Rider,” which she wrote and recorded for The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. Paris mentioned that this was a full circle moment for her, as she first learned the guitar by playing Ed Sheeran’s single, “I See Fire,” which was featured in the 2013 film The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

Paris’s set came to climax during the encore, which was her hit song “labour.” All of Paris’s music reminds listeners of the importance of community and equality, but this one is arguably extra significant because of its popularity among people from all over the world. The lyrics of “labour” are more relevant than ever, despite the song having been written over two years ago, and it was extremely therapeutic to hear live. During the entire song, fans waved their hands in unison and sang along to the steady beat of the music. It made for a beautiful and powerful moment — one that I will not forget for a long time.