Playing the Mercury Lounge in the Lower East Side of Manhattan is a rite of passage for many indie artists — a proving ground of sorts for those seeking to launch their careers. For up-and-coming German singer-songwriter Zoe Wees, performing at the Mercury Lounge was no different. Aug. 3 marked her first North American solo concert, where she captured the 100-strong audience members’ hearts in a moving 45-minute set.
While standing in line outside the Mercury Lounge at a quarter to 6, soaking in the waning sunlight and the conversations around me, I was as amused by the two young women in front of me who were puzzling aloud who Zoe Wees is and what she’s known for, as I was delighted by the family of five chatting in German behind me.
I made it into the venue in time to catch the last stirring notes of the opener, penelope Q. Taking in the space between performances, I observed the unique decor: disco balls, desilvered mirrors and exposed brick. I noticed how much her audience resembled a microcosm of the city — unlike the audiences I’ve encountered at more mainstream artists’ concerts. Here, there was a diversity of languages floating through the air, as people of various ethnicities, religions, ages, body types and genders gathered to listen to Zoe. Though I had yet to experience Zoe in all of her glory, it was clear that she is someone her fans can relate to and feel represented by.
At 7:20 sharp, 10 minutes ahead of schedule, Zoe made her way to the stage to enthusiastic applause and cheers. Dressed in an oversized black shirt with a chunky-knit cream sweater underneath and black bike shorts, she seemed both timid and excited. She greeted the crowd, her green braids brushing her calves as she surveyed the room, and received affirmations like “You’re so cute!” in response. The intimate space and Zoe’s charisma were perfectly suited for bringing together a community of people from all walks of life, genuinely excited for and supportive of her burgeoning career.
Without further ado, Zoe launched into her second most popular song on Spotify right now, the forceful “Girls Like Us.” Kyle, the young guitarist in a black Lollapalooza shirt who informed me after the show that he had met Zoe only four days prior, was a delightful counterbalance to Zoe; where she was grounded, soulful and a tad on the shy side, he exuded extroversion in every whine of the electric guitar and grand gesture to encourage more energy from the crowd.
“Overthinking,” a song about being stuck in your brain and one of my personal favorites from Zoe’s discography, followed. Though the recorded version falls more into the “dance pop” category, the group chose to take the performance in a new direction, switching out the electric guitar for an acoustic one and embracing a more visceral sound.
At the beginning of the next song, “Hold Me Like You Used To,” Zoe paused to explain that it was a tribute to her grandmother who passed away recently, eliciting sympathetic “ahhhs” from the audience. “Halloween,” which followed, revived the energy in the room; a mother in a white polka-dot dress standing near me exclaimed “Ah, I love this one!” as the band launched into action.
The catchy “Lonely” preceded a more serious, unreleased song titled “Daddy’s Eyes” that Zoe wrote about her estranged father. One of the few times she met him, she explained, she remembered looking up and noticing how similar their eyes were. The song chronicles her distant relationship with him and her reluctance to “cry these tears / with my daddy’s eyes.”
In another unreleased song that followed, “Ain’t Really Good for Me,” the guitarist initiated a crowd clap that lasted quite a while into the song, a testament to her fans’ dedication despite their unfamiliarity with the lyrics. “You Don’t Know Me,” sparked by hateful comments about Zoe’s fashion style early on in her Instagram career, roused solidarity from the crowd before a false start broke the tension and elicited chuckles from the band and audience alike.
A strong bassline signaled the start of “That’s How It Goes,” a 2021 collaboration with 6LACK and another one of my favorites. The electric guitar stepped in for 6LACK, with Kyle shredding on the strings to much acclaim. The audience was so into the song that when Zoe paused for breath at the start of the refrain (“But that’s how it goes”), they stepped in for her, echoing her verses back to her and leaving her caught off guard but obviously pleased. She thanked the audience for their participation at the end of the song with a sweet “Danke.”
The unreleased “New York Pretty” premiered next, with a short preface from Zoe about how much the city had lived up to her high expectations during her visit, before she launched into her latest single, “Third Wheel.” The audience joined in the chorus of “Control,” the song that many point to as the start of Zoe’s career. As the final notes settled, Zoe announced her last song, “Ghost,” to a passionate “Hell no!” from an audience member toward the center of the crowd. The song ended on a slower, sadder note, representing the conclusion of the show, even though the audience begged for an encore.
With a voice as gritty as the issues she tackles in her lyrics — and a range comparable to Adele, but huskier in pitch — Zoe transports listeners along the soft starts and climactic belts that run like a throughline in her songs. After her performance, it’s easy to see why fans adore Zoe, with her soft smile and bashful laugh. One minute, she’s sharing the deeply personal inspiration behind a song and the next, she has the audience laughing and singing alongside her. She’s the type of performer who gets on stage not to project some image or revel in the attention, but to simply tell her story through song. That’s beautiful, refreshing and quite rare to find these days.
Kyle, the guitarist and an avid performer in his own right, had no hesitations when asked to describe the night in one word: “Zoe Wees.” Though “Zoe Wees” is two words — and Kyle soon after changed his mind and declared “fireworks” instead — it speaks to how much of a magnetic pull Zoe has on those around her. She’s relatable, thanks in large part to the incredible vulnerability bared in her songs, and her fans’ respect for that candidness is evident in the way they revere her.
Zoe originally gained attention in German circles at just 15 years old from her The Voice Kids performance in 2017, and now, at 20, she is surely cementing her name in the international music scene. With her deeply personal lyrics, phenomenal voice and unique ability to capture a crowd, Zoe Wees has the world at her fingertips.