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Ever since their double-whammy Pickathon performances in 2023, New York’s Say She She has been beloved in Portland. Their local audience has grown steadily over the intervening years as the group performed at The Get Down, the Waterfront Blues Festival, and last year’s Project Pabst.
Vocalists Piya Malik, Nya Brown, and Sabrina Cunningham weave sophisticated layers of harmonic vocals over the crucial disco funk of their L.A.-based backing band. Say She She emerged on the Aladdin stage in complementary blazers, miniskirts and boots. At first, we thought their striking blond singer Sabrina had dyed her hair black.
After a quick intro cover of the Three Degrees’ “Collage,” Piya took over as emcee for the night to reveal that Sabrina had been sidelined by illness. Everyone wondered how the evening would unfurl. Miraculously raven-haired gospel and blues vocalist Alecia Chakour had flown in from New York to sing in Sabrina’s stead. My goodness, did she deliver. Perhaps the choreography suffered slightly, but her sultry, commanding voice was impeccable.
The proper set commenced with “Forget Me Not.” The only people still in their seats were in the balcony; the whole place was humming with molten party vibes one wouldn’t expect on a Thursday in January. The rest of the evening featured a cascade of songs from Cut & Rewind (“This is what we live for,” Piya testified before launching into its title track). A smattering of songs from the Silver album and the title track from their Prism debut were cause for enthusiastic singalongs.
Clever covers of “Slippery People” by Talking Heads and the RAH Band’s “Messages From the Stars” caused a midset dip in energy, but great bands know you can’t build to a fever pitch endlessly. Things snapped back into focus when the ladies regaled us with fan favorite “Astral Plane.” Piya took many opportunities to express that Say She She returned Portland’s love. She also pointed out the importance of gathering during dark times. Ultimately, her loudest message came before their cover of the Jackson Sisters’ “I Believe in Miracles” when she proclaimed, “There’s nothing better than dancing your face off!” No one present disagreed.
