Emeli Sandé lights up the Barbican Centre with soul, jazz and Zambian pride
The Scottish soul icon delivered an evening of jazz, heritage and raw emotion that left the crowd on their feet.
Photo: Tricia Yourkevich
Emeli Sandé stunned at the Barbican Centre in London as part of the Summer Jazz Series, delivering her R&B and soul hits reimagined with a rich jazz influence.
The show opened with Liverpudlian soul and blues artist Mica Sefia, whose radiant warm-up set had the crowd engaged and singing along from the first note. She performed a range of stunning tracks, but one in particular stood out — a song dedicated to her brother, about not being able to be there for him and their mum when he was younger. By chance, I was sitting a row behind her mum and brother that evening, and it was a truly beautiful moment to witness the pride beaming across their faces as they sat attentively taking in her every word. She is definitely an artist to watch out for.
When Emeli graced the stage, her presence was impossible to ignore: radiant in a bright orange shirt and trousers, her smile lighting up the room before she’d sung a single note. I loved how she introduced each member of her band and backing singers one by one, naming their instruments as she went. It felt like a family on stage, all supporting one another.
And what a band it was — an all-Black group, with the keyboard player and his son on bass both coming from a church background, a woman behind the drum kit, and another woman commanding the electric guitar. That combination of backgrounds and voices gave the night a spiritual charge you could genuinely feel. Emeli took us to church. She gave us jazz, hints of reggae, African spirituality, soulful ballads, and rhythm and blues.
Running through the evening was a beautiful thread of appreciation and love, both in her song choices and in the way she spoke to the crowd. She dedicated her beloved My Kind of Love to her mum and sister, and you could feel that she meant every single word she sang.
“Happiness is coming back.”
That love extended to her roots, too. Emeli spoke proudly of her Zambian heritage, sharing a snippet recording of her Zambian family vibing together back home. As the recording played, filled with beautiful drumming, she broke into a Zulu-style chant before gradually finding her way into Wonder, her collaboration with British DJ and record producer Naughty Boy. It was a stunning rendition of the song, one that proudly and joyfully showcased her culture. “No matter what anybody says, you are full of wonder,” she told the crowd — and in that moment, I’m sure everyone felt the power of her words.
Standout moments were plentiful. She performed Hurts, the 2016 lead single from her album Long Live The Angels: a raw, cathartic track centred on the anger and painful vulnerability of heartbreak. She spoke openly about the people who had shaped her journey, reserving particular gratitude for Naughty Boy, with whom she collaborated on her debut album Our Version of Events. She also reflected candidly on her path to music, how she had initially studied medicine at university before realising it wasn’t where her heart was, and how the support of her parents gave her the confidence to move to London and pursue her dream.
A special moment on the night was when she sang Refuge, a new song not yet recorded or released. “I know that life can be so cruel,” she sang, and you felt every word. “As long as you’re by my side, I can take the storm… I don’t care anymore. I felt refuge here in your arms.” The lyrics were raw and unguarded, and you could see the impact they had on the crowd. “No one's really who they seem. I’ve been hurt so many times, got to read between the lines.” At its close, a man in the audience rose to his feet in applause and, slowly, others followed. It was the song that touched people most that night, for sure.
She also shared the story behind Heaven — the first song she ever heard played on the radio. She described being in Ealing when it came on and the surreal, overwhelming feeling of that moment, the joy still audible in her voice as she recalled it. She spoke about British rapper Professor Green, who took a chance on her early in her career when she was virtually unknown, bringing her in to sing on Read All About It. The song went on to become one of the biggest hits of 2011, reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart in October of that year and selling over 153,000 copies in its first week.
She closed the set with You Are Not Alone, a heartfelt rendition of John Lennon’s Imagine and, of course, Next To Me, which brought everyone to their feet: dancing, clapping, and singing the words back to Emeli and her band. It was a special, joyful ending to a truly special night.
“When music reaches people's hearts, it keeps me going.” — Emeli Sandé.
