Chicago native David Kushner made his second North Carolina stop at The Ritz for a bone-chilling show. Kushner, whose music leans into the soul-pop genre, uses song to tell some of the most incredible stories. He has stated multiple times throughout his career that faith and his own relationship with God has been one of the biggest driving forces and inspirations in his songwriting. Kushner has put a spin on the label of "Christian Music" by blurring the line between worship and the pop industry as a whole. Due to this, barriers have been opened and new eyes (and ears) are being brought to a different side.
As the lights cut off, opener Henrik took the stage. As he casually made his way, it was immediately clear the genre he was about to bring to the table. Incredible performance aside, you can't help but want to be friends with Henrik, he gives off the vibe that he would be a great outdoorsmen, and might even sing a song for you around the camp fire. Which was confirmed afterwards when he self proclaimed (via Instagram) his song with Josiah Queen, "I need you more" feels like "Granola Jesus."
Leaning into his folk style, Henrik performed Noah Kahan's hit, "Stick Season" to this sold out crowd. The crowd feedback was astronomical- even when the song itself was on the pre-show setlist. Henrik proved to have many loyal fans in the pit as well, when performing his own songs the crowd cheered and sung just as loud as a headline show.
As of November 1st, 2024 Henrik just released a collaboration album with fellow artist GRAHAM: Titled Cedarcliff. I strongly suggest you check it out! It may just have you yearning for nice day in nature, a foggy cabin in the forest, or the feeling of a sunlit hike.
Henrik by @ashleyymck
Following Henrik's folk performance, the crowd waited in anticipation for Kushner to arrive. The lights fired back up and he ascended the foggy side stairs singing "Darkside." With a conservative stage setup, the average listener wouldn't be expecting much, but the second David begins to sing- you can't help but be jaw-dropped.
I joked with a fellow photographer, "He doesn't have vocal range... he IS vocal range," and that could not be more than the truth. David didn't stay stagnant for a second, he moved around the stage all without missing a single note (some of those being low enough to shake your bones.) It's not hard to understand how Kushner quickly became a viral sensation, and created an incredibly large fan base in the process.
This year's setlist had a plethora of slow ballads mixed with the perfect amount of punchy hits. Between songs, he often paused to give a quick introduction on inspiration or just a little insight on how the song came to be. Through this we learned there's truth and story to everything Kushner writes, we may get a touch of religion, a past relationship, or even a family member's life- all tied together into some form of a fairy tale.
At the young age of 24, Kushner has already made astronomical strides into the cutthroat music industry; Gaining support from Noah Kahan, Lauv, Alexander23 and many more. It's incredibly commendable the way he has gone about his own faith in the process. It's not often in this day and age, for those in the public eye to speak up about their own beliefs, yet Kushner has stayed true to himself, all while creating art that can be enjoyed by everyone.
There truly is something unforgettable about David Kushner, anyone with that level of raw talent is surely meant for something greater.
David Kushner by @ashleyymck
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