Meg Smith Is Here to Save Pop (in a Mini Skirt)
Meg Smith for her debut show at Permanent Records’ Roadhouse photographed by Sandra Jamaleddine - @sandrajamphoto
5.8.26 - Los Angeles, CA
When I had first heard about Meg Smith, it was purely by chance. One day, while in between homework assignments, I was scrolling on TikTok. Her account came on my For You page; it was a video of her talking about how she was preparing for her debut headline shows in both Los Angeles and New York City. Upon hearing the words "Los Angeles" and "debut show" and seeing her bright pink hair, the video piqued my interest. From there, I went on a deep dive of her music and was pleasantly delighted to be met with a bright and fun pop sound that was almost Chappell Roan-esque with infectious beats and very tongue-in-cheek lyrics. After this, I just knew I couldn’t miss the start of Pop's next big star.
Photo by Sandra Jamaleddine - @sandrajamphoto
Stepping into Permanent Records’ Roadhouse for the sold-out show, I was met with a group buzzing with energy: disco balls hanging from the ceiling, a silver tinsel backdrop on the stage, and a sea of angel halos (a staple from her EP The Gospel According to Meg Smith). Due to the intimacy of the venue, the show began with Smith walking through the crowd to the stage. You could see her excitement and gratitude as she had looked out into the faces of people; many she knew were friends from her team and family. She began the show with one of my personal favorites, the title track of her album, “Disco Dystopia,” an electric dance-pop piece that had set the perfect tone for the evening with the bright flashing lights and her two dancers by her side (Bella Murrieta and Loren Chua). Seeing this as just the start, I knew that she was gearing up to put on one hell of a performance.
It was very prevalent that Smith cared deeply about her fans and the people who were in the room that night. She frequently interacted with the audience between songs. However, a standout moment for me came at one of the most raw and tender parts of the show where she sang “Joni.” She had stepped away from the stage, left her microphone, and stood in the center of the crowd singing an acoustic version of the song. Here is where I really gained a great deal of admiration and respect for her vocal abilities. The power that her voice had to belt out notes as well as flip into her higher range with a longing and gentle rasp that added an extra layer of emotion to the song that was both beautiful and heartbreaking. It sounded and felt as though you were a friend in her bedroom as she played this song for the first time, letting the lyrics flow out of her.
One of the things that impressed me about Meg Smith as I was watching the show was that she has something that so many other artists struggle with for years: a sense of who she is. She has a clear-cut vision for what she wants her music to be as well as who she wants to be in terms of her aesthetic and performance. All of the hard work that she had put into the show was obvious when she was on the stage. During the show and also on social media, she has been very vocal about how recently she had gotten dropped by her label and was now doing everything on her own. This had led into a tender rendition of “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus. A truly beautiful moment was hearing the crowd sing along and show that even through everything she had been through, they were there to support her. Despite everything, it was clear she did not let this let her confidence nor performance waver, especially when singing “Girls Just Wanna Be Famous” with none other than her opener Ella Collier, Avery Cochrane, and Ella Jane. It was truly a love letter to the joy of making music with these influential female musicians sharing a song about wanting to make an impact.
Meg Smith taking a bow with her dancers Loren Chua and Bella Murrieta photographed by Sandra Jamaleddine - @sandrajamphoto
She had continued the night by asking someone in the audience to describe a bad ex to ‘cast a spell on them.' The room erupted with laughter as an audience member described their ex- boyfriend and explained that she had paid a zoo to name a rat after him. Upon hearing this, Smith then did a call-and-response spell with the audience and segued into one of her most popular tracks, “Cross My Heart I Hope U Die.” Even though there were no crazy pyrotechnics, effects, or choreography, Smith really did have you captivated for the entire set with her performing skills. Along with her songs "You Fake Your British Accent,” which she performed in front of the British flag and encouraged audience members to sing in their worst British accent, and “God Damn Baby,” the infectious hyper-pop anthem about leaving your ex in shambles while you’re thriving. The general admission venue had been transformed into a dance floor where not only did the audience take to dancing, but so did Smith and her backup dancers, coming back down to the floor to perform a choreographed dance break to her track “Hedonistic.” Putting their all into it, they truly showed their abilities and made it fun by interacting with the audience on the floor during the dance and even having Smith and the dancers doing sit-ups as part of the routine while the audience counted.
Finishing off her performance, she had faked out the audience, making it seem like there were no more songs up her sleeve with her dancers going up to the mic and sarcastically having a conversation about how there were absolutely no more songs in her discography to perform. To her, then returning to the stage to perform the pop anthem recently featured in the end credits during the film Forbidden Fruits, “Jesus Christ in a Mini Skirt.” Since it’s one of her more popular tracks, it made sense to have it as a closer. In my personal opinion, it was the optimal track to end the night, as it was one of the best tracks instrumentally to dance to and also had a slowed-down bridge that led into the chorus that made you really feel the journey that Smith had taken you on throughout the evening emotionally as it came to a close. I urge you to listen to the works of Meg Smith. Upon seeing her performance, I have no doubt that she will soon be a household name in the near future.
