Priscilla Ahn.

She's actually really tall.

*refer to one of the paragraphs to come*

So yeah, JQ and I went for P. Ahn's show yesterday. If you don't want the full narration, just skip all the gibber, get tickets for her next show, and be amazed; because it was nothing short of amazing.

Ok. To the long-winded narration, obviously 'cause it's what I do best. :)

The show started (or at least was supposed to) at 730 PM. We waited for Priscilla for quite a bit.. heh. Everyone was chatting about, but when they turned down the music that was playing at Esplanade's Recital Studio, everyone fell silent. I was gittery. And excited. I couldn't stop grinning, you should ask Jia Qi. I think I lighted up like a spotlight.

But yeah.. there I was, tapping my feet on the ground like a nervous wreck. (Who knew people actually did that.) Perhaps, it was because it was my first concert (ok, maybe it's considered a showcase cause there were only seats for 225, which made it all the better!); perhaps, it was because I've been waiting for this day to come for so long now.

So there I sat. It felt like, for a lack of a better word, forever.

She came in at about 745 PM. She smiled. I can't remember whether she said 'Hi', but that smile was enough. Daintily, she went to her guitar, picked it up, and then proceeded to where the mic was.

A familiar string of notes, she started playing, forming a melody that sounded like angels on the harp.

That was it, I was charmed, I was captivated. Without realizing (until in hindsight), I was transported to a dreamy-heavenly place. And it was a good place to be. That $101 for the tickets? Pfft. I totally got my money's worth, seconds in to the show. And I think everyone felt that way, because everyone seemed to be sitting there, smiling, and enjoying the acoustics in the air.

(It's a really nice hall btw, apparently Rachael Yamagata e-mailed Priscilla, saying that she had to go there, and I'm thankful. PS. I'm still sad I missed RY's show.)

After she finished playing "Dream", there was a huge round of applause. And she replied with a sweet "thank you", which she does constantly throughout her set.

I find it incredibly impressive/mesmerizing that her live performance is as good as her album records, if not better. This is so unlike certain mainstream+overrated artistes, if you can even call them that. All that layers you hear in her songs? She does it live, using loop machines. She makes harmonizing seem so easy-peasy. Here I am, struggling to learn how to do so, and although I do see improvements, I still am failing miserably.

But back to Priscilla, she was so much fun live. Her show felt so personal, I felt like I was looking at the world through her eyes when she sang. Her words were so honest, so truthful, so raw. When she sings, you feel so connected to her, like you can relate. And I think that that's simply amazing, the fact that by definition, she's a stranger to you, but you know so much about her.

Like the fact that she always wanted to live in a tree. *cue "Living in a Tree"* XD

I liked the stories Priscilla spoke of. And I think it was so cute, the way she went "andthatwaswhatIwastalkingabout" between lines of her song, with her eyes wide open, hinting to take note.

In "Lullaby", she told us about the town she grew up in--Bernville, Pennsylvania--where there was this cop that no one liked. You see, it was a small town and there was this dog that everyone simply adored. But one day, it wandered off and this Officer Hicks, shot the dog. (All the dogs will die | They can't seem to stay alive | Cause in this town, where cops shoot them down, and we just let them go inside)

"Wallflower". She was 19 when she moved to LA. This girl was really nice to her and she started inviting her to all these parties. But she wasn't one to dress up, unlike the girls of the Hollywood Hills. She told us she "went in [her] cargos and big baggy T-shirts" and that she "sorta looked like a lesbian". We laughed. And she giggled like a teenager blushing. Which makes it hard for me to believe that she's 27 and married. She's just too cute!

Speaking of marriage, she was talking about this song she wrote, called "The Boobs Song". I know right.. wtf? Haha. But it was good! Heh anywhos, the story goes something along the lines of:

So my boyfriend, ok, that was 5 years back, we're happily married now. *giggles* So my boyfriend was going out of town for a couple of days, and he told me that I could stay over. So I thought that was great, maybe it's the next step of the relationship or something. *cute face and everyone laughed* So I was at his place, looking at the books on his book shelf. And there I saw this book on poetry. And I thought, "Hey, I've got this pretty great guy! He reads poetry!" So I flipped the book open and I saw there was a note written inside by some girl. It said, "Dear Mike, I hope you like/will read this poem I picked out for you. I know you're a sensitive guy. And I hope they remind you of my boobs." Signed Tiffany "or something". *waves her hand in the air like saying wtv* Then I was like "what the fuck?" (Even the way she said "fuck" was cute. XD) First of all, who writes such a stuuuupid note?

So when my boyfriend came home, I told him, "Oh guess what! I wrote this song! You have to listen to this!" *with the most innocent/cheeky expression*

Well, like I said, he tossed the book out, and so we're now living happily ever after. :)))

So yeah... there I was, sitting 5 metres away from this amazing talent with such a great personality. I felt so honoured. She sang "A Song About Nothing", which she never recorded. I don't know how to put it in words, but all I know is that it was just so real.

Oh random fact! She was talking about how she tried durian, smelling it at first thinking "Oh I don't know about this... :/", but really liking it in the end. She says she loves Singapore, lol, and she "wished she lived here". I wanted to reply "Yeah! We wished you lived here too." But I lost that outgoing me. I hesitated. The moment passed. But she did say in the end that you shouldn't be surprised if you hear Priscilla Ahn is now staying in Singapore, because she loves the culture and... the rain (cue "Rain").

So yeah, that was that.

There was a little M&G session afterwards. She was so friendly and again, CUTE! We took a picture together and I went like "Whoa... you're so tall." Then just as the shutter was being released, she ducked with a soft "teehee"! *refer to picture above*

I told her I came all the way from Malaysia to see her and that she should go one day! She told us she was supposed to go there but it didn't happen. But she wants to! She asked whether JQ and I were studying here. *babble babble* I told her there was a lot of good food in Malaysia and her eyes opened wide, saying she's all about food! Plus points like +785298347981!!! (Y) :DDD

Suddenly, the "what the hell" bubble popped up in my head. I took of my blazer and asked her to sign it, because it was my first concert I ever been to and all. She said it was pretty. I told her she could have it. She just giggled. :)

"See you in Malaysia! <3 Priscilla Ahn"

Dear Priscilla,

Those Hollywood Hillbillies (okay, that's mean heh) are fools because anyone would have been so truly blessed to be a wallflower friend of yours. And I forgot to thank you for writing the songs you wrote and for singing the songs you sang. Like "The Boobs Song", I mean, how authentic is that? Totally doing today's music industry a favour. So yeah, thank you! I will see you again! At least I hope so. ;)

<3 Wei Yi