On Monday, I had the pleasure of seeing a live singer perform in a secret venue – for free. Thank God for the Soho Poly.
I took a front row seat with not much of a clue about what to expect – you never know how an hour in the SP basement will go. The last time I went, I was glueing cut-up lines of someone else’s poetry to a whiteboard. I hadn’t even planned on going, really, but when my writing class ended, a few people were heading there right away. I’m so glad I joined them!
Introduced by our host Ian Bennet (with the phrase “She’s a big deal”, a statement we all agreed with by the end of the performance), Sherika took the spotlight with her guitar so humbly, and then imparted this quiet awe onto the audience with her first song ‘Lonely in a Crowded Room’. I distinctly remember the chills I got when she belted “taken away” in the chorus.
Sherika has been writing and releasing her own music since as far back as 2015, and her vocal ability reflects this expertise. Her songs explore the vulnerabilities of love, work, and life in London – despite being so personal, the 40-or-so of us in the room could all see a version of ourselves in her music.
Not only is she super talented, but she’s hilarious – she’d tell the room little anecdotes about something her partner said, or the experience that led her to write the next song. “I’m a very happy person a lot of the time,” she smiles as she introduces her song ‘No One’s Getting Out Alive’. It’s a laidback, R’n’B song about enjoying life before it’s left us. “It’s very harsh but it definitely got me off the sofa.”
She performed a setlist of 10 songs (some of which were unreleased! I wish I could share these with you readers) and I was taken aback again and again by how strong and agile her vocals were. Sherika has the incredible ability to wow a room – I especially loved the acoustic jazz of ‘Give Me A Job’. Deeply relatable lyrics, too.
One of her songs I can’t leave unmentioned is ‘City Girl’ – the sweetest song of the performance for me. It’s slower and more delicate than other pieces on the setlist; again I’m impressed by the emotional depth this artist can convey in her music.
Sherika expressed how her career-driven her partner is, and how she tells her to slow down. “I was like, ‘You need to chill,’ and she’s like, ‘You need to do your tax return!’”
We, the audience, laugh with her. She continues, “We’re not here to pay bills and die! We’re here to have good memories.” This statement rings true in all of her songs, but ‘City Girl’ explores this hope with the most tender sincerity.
She leans back into the mic. “I’ve done my tax return.”
What I loved about the whole experience was that her songs came from such a genuine place. They’re about wanting to be loved back, enjoying the fun of dating, recovering from a low point, knowing life will always give you a second chance. I love that she let us in to a little part of her fascinating world.
About halfway through the gig, I couldn’t help but pull out my phone to follow her on Spotify. Then I whipped out my notes app to draft this article – something about Sherika Sherard’s music inspires.
I walked away as a new fan (along with everyone else in the room, I’m sure). It was by far one of the best Monday lunchtimes I’ve ever had at the SP – I’m gonna be humming her choruses for the next two weeks.
Sherika Sherard’s music is available to stream on Bandcamp and Spotify.