Live Review: Kehlani, Joy.

It's clear that a fair amount of people have been waiting here for a very long time, some are even overheard saying they've been queuing for a couple of hours. With the massive line of eager fans winding all the way around the corner of the venue, the hype for tonight is evident.

The inside of Forum Theatre is always a sight for sore eyes. Dim lights illuminate the Romanesque statues that look down on the punters who are double fisting drinks and settling into prime viewing/dancing spots at the front of the stage. Joy. (aka Olivia McCarthy) looks angelic as ever seated at her keyboard tonight. White lights beam down from the royal blue ceiling, straight onto the top of her head. Drenched in the spotlight she sings her heart out accompanied quite simply by a drummer and guitarist whose head is adorned with some humungous headphones for the entire set. He's so into each song, his enthusiasm sucks us in. McCarthy's recent releases seem to take on a more ambient, electro-pop approach in comparison to the slight R&B vibe heard on earlier work. Some of her vocal phrasing and chord selection - especially in earlier tracks - are really beautiful and we hope to hear more of this in future offerings. It's a large stage and difficult crowd to hold since McCarthy provides a more sombre vibe compared to what the majority of punters are keen for tonight, but she does grab the attention of a fair few with some even seen viewing McCarthy's Facebook page, to note her name down for a later listen.

Kehlani's tour DJ Noodles kicks it off as the room goes dark just in time for the bangers to get everyone buzzing. She plays everything from Princess Nokia and Khia to Beyonce and even, strangely enough, Panic! At The Disco. It doesn't take long at the decks before Noodles gets the crowd totally wired and it's completely electric as Kehlani, who's rocking an Aboriginal flag T-shirt, struts onto the stage for Keep On. Cue the incessant snapchatting, which is borderline insanity tonight. There are a couple of punters that definitely spend most of the evening looking at the stage through the screen of their phone, rather than with their own eyes. A sea of screens and arms flail around in the air to grab a wonky 30-second video of their favourite track.

Kehlani's vocals are flawless throughout the entire set, even during the choreographed parts as she effortlessly moves together with her two back-up dancers accompanied by the spicy fills provided by her ridiculously tight drummer. Her ability to engage the entire room is amazing. With a flick of her hair, smile and mic pointed out to the crowd, she gets us all rapping along louder and louder to The Way. Her warmth and genuine humility can be felt during her speech that follows - addressing empathy and self-care in a beautifully articulate and relatable way - before Piece Of Mind, leaving a fair few clutching their mates while belting out the lyrics with teary eyes.

After a shout out to the LGBTQI+ community and supporters in the crowd, Kehlani takes a quick moment to encourage young people to vote in the upcoming postal survey on same sex marriage, which is met with ear-shattering applause. We don't think it can really get any louder than this until a fan is called up by Kehlani herself. After the fan's partner is asked to make her way to the stage, what follows is a sugary-sweet marriage proposal that, of course, has the entire crown losing their minds.

Maintaining the high, Kehlani powers on with Undercover and Personal, before saying, "Ok, last song. Who can guess it?" and of course, fans know it's sure to be CRZY. What is crazy is that this girl is just 22 years old. She's got the heart of an old soul, the voice of an angel, moves to shut down any D-floor with ease, the energy and drive of a powerful woman and the attitude of the absolute 100% boss that she proves to be.