Photos and Writing by Eliza Mann
You’ve likely been wondering: what is hotter than a 96 degree heatwave in Denver, Colorado?
Virtually nothing.
Tonight, however, there is an answer:
The XOXO Tour just landed in the Box State
8:16:00 7/31/24
I rush across a busy Colfax from my questionable parking spot and to the Fillmore Auditorium. The show begins at 8:30 and there is a lingering line of people waiting to enter. As the sun sets I secure my pass and am ushered inside.
My instructions are to catch the first three songs from the front of house. I gaze to the sea of people waiting and realize I will need to fly if I want to photograph up close.
Veer right
I decided on the second floor, which is elevated to the stage’s height. Security guides me to a less populated section and as soon as my camera switch turns ‘on’ the lights dim.
7/17/23
It’s July and I have spent the summer immersed in the natural world of Colorado. Tonight, we are hosting a dinner at my apartment in Capitol Hill. As conversation continues my roommate turns the television to YouTube.
A friend suggests an artist I have not yet watched by the name Young Miko.
L-I-S-A enters the search bar as anticipation builds.
It’s all girls in a home with white walls. The music video features a platinum Miko surrounded by girls and romance-era artwork. Sultry scenes are cooled by the female rapper who has a clear eye for clothing design. She commands attention, and the brand new video is not her first attempt at showcasing stardom.
We spend the next hour or so filling up with female empowerment.. I need to see more of her work. “Wiggy’ demands two runs and the verse:
I got shooting stars on my teeth,
Nikes on my feet, make my cypher complete, ajá
‘Cause I’m nice like that
Baby, I’m cool like that
Dicen: ‘Miko, qué rico”, que como yo no hay na
replays in my head rent-free for the remainder of the night.
7/18/23 – 7/30/24
Daily drives become alive with Young Miko’s profile on Apple Music. Her 2022 album Trap Kitty is 9 back-to-back femme anthems. Trap is notoriously saturated by male lyricism, but this Puerto Rican gata is furnishing the genre with feminine energy.
8:30:00 7/31/24
Bright spotlight hovers over a dark screen. A curled figure is illuminated on stage as the screen slowly lifts.
It’s her.
She begins on top of a plush bed. The setting resembles the Att. album cover, her newest album. Within moments of the clean introduction she rises to a stand and begins bouncing across the stage. Her smile is as bright live as online.
Song after song she sparks the space. I have roughly ten minutes to film and am satisfied with her ever-photogenic nature. Denver is stop #1 on the XOXO tour and she did not shy from pouring her all into the performance.
Once my photo timeframe has come to an end I examine the space a bit. Realizing I am in the “Friends & Family Zone”, I ask if I need to relocate. “No, no. You’re good here” a guest welcomes me to stay.
I enjoy the remaining songs surrounded by her people. Halfway through the show a family of two young girls and their mothers are greeted. Eyes wide, they move to the Reggaeton Rhythm without pause. One was so enamored I thought she might jump on stage.
In a momentary pause, Miko is handed a “Pussy Power” fan which she then uses to chill. The set changes and she sings stationed beside a Colorado-core landscape with cherry blossoms on the jumbotron.
9:20:00
There is an intermission as the team prepares for the final segment. From a dark auditorium, Miko (María Victoria Ramírez de Arellano Cardona) slides in wearing a hot pink athletic set.
The crowd bursts into an uncontrollable cheer.
“MIKO, MIKO” is all that can be heard over the interlude to, ‘sorry es que bipolar’, her recent single ft. ROBI.
Next is a personal favorite, Vol. 58 Music Session collab with Bzrp:
“La que puede, puede, y la que no puede, soporta” rings as I write.
There is an effort to include the crowd in finishing the lyrics to “Riri”, though not everyone has a firm grasp on the words.
Miko, if you’re reading this, I promise Denver will do better when you return..
10:20:00
The night ends with a heartfelt goodbye. Followers have stayed to Young Miko’s finale and no one seems to leave disappointed.
“The show was fantastic,” a pair of friends from the city share. Their gym sessions are fueled by Curita and they recount bonding over ID off the new album.
Another set of friends has traveled from Washington State to see Miko live and are filled with joy to have made the trip. “We love her” one announces, “and have been listening for about a year now” the second adds.
Final impressions of the XOXO Tour:
Chic. Magnetic. Rejuvenating.
And it is only the beginning. Young Miko is one you will not want to miss.
Catch Tour Updates on Instagram
@itsyoungmiko
XOXO,
-E @ TSLN
You must be logged in to post a comment.