Solya Bears It All During Chicago Stop of “Queen of Texas” Tour

Described as the "goth Lana Del Rey with a country twang," the Texas-born songstress sings through her debut album in an intimate show.

Solya performs to an excited crowd who sings along to every song, singing their hearts out like no tomorrow. [Photo Courtesy: Chinyere Ibeh]

Basked in purple and blue fluorescent lighting, Solya sang to a packed crowd in the iconic Chicago venue, Subterranean.

Walking upstairs to the second floor space, one can hear the crowd cheering loudly for Solya’s next song — “Movie Star.” The crowd sounds like a choir as they sing loudly to the lyrics, feeling every word immensely. Solya leads the cause as she sings into a microphone draped in a string of flowers and white lights.

• 

  Solya plays acoustic guitar alongside fellow guitarist and drummer [Photo Courtesy: Chinyere Ibeh]

• 

  Solya plays acoustic guitar alongside fellow guitarist and drummer [Photo Courtesy: Chinyere Ibeh]

The song comes to a close and the venue bursts at the seams as fans cheer loudly for their favorite alt country singer. This energy continues throughout the night as Solya sings the songs featured on her debut album, Queen of Texas.

A body of work that blends bedroom pop and eclectic sounds, Queen of Texas features themes of heartbreak and queer love. The album’s title track begins with an 1980s-inspired synthesizer sound, one similar to the theme song of Netflix’s Stranger Things.

“I’m a long way from home, so it’d only be right for me to play you ‘Queen of Texas,” Solya said at one point of the concert.

As the crowd erupted in excitement, Solya proceeded to play a white synthesizer as the blue and purple lights hit the drum’s cymbals just right. The guitar and drums bring it together as the song builds up to the chorus, a chorus that Solya mastered with ease. 

Not only did fans fill the standing room space in front of the stage, they crowded the upstairs area – yes, there’s a third floor! Fans look down from a balcony-like area with an extravagant chandelier hanging in the middle. 

• 

  The merch table [Photo Courtesy: Chinyere Ibeh]

• 

  The merch table [Photo Courtesy: Chinyere Ibeh]

In this U-shaped balcony area, a merch table was situated in the back corner. Fans could get their hands on t-shirts, hoodies, vinyls, buttons, CDs and posters that all featured various cover art for Queen of Texas.

The Queen of Texas tour will embark on 25 different cities, ending with the Austin City Limits Festival in Austin, Texas.