Brittany Howard: Jazzy and Queerness at Montreux Jazz Festival

Alabama Shakes’ former frontwoman Brittany Howard has released two albums on her own since. In these albums, she pushes the boundaries of music, taking exploration and experimentation to a whole new level, as her last album WHAT NOW, out in February of this year, demonstrates.

In her long sparkly dress of blue, magenta, and golden hues, similar to a gospel robe, Brittany Howard commanded the Casino Stage with a celestial-like presence. Her first time in Montreux in the last decade, she started her performance by paying homage to those who stood there before her: “I’m feeling honored and blessed to play on this stage after so many people played there”. Indeed, several of her idols, whom she calls the “It Girls”, have graced this historical stage, such as Aretha Franklin in 1971 and Nina Simone in 1976.

Along with her eight-piece band, Brittany Howard took us on a journey. The tracks flowed seamlessly, never ceasing to send shivers down our spines, as the audience remained enraptured by her hooks throughout both her solo albums. She was there to share the full range of her artistry and a whole lot of love. Each song was a vignette, the capture of a mindset, each time radiating something deep and different. More than a concert, it was an introspective journey, through her and us. 

There was something so healing to hear her raw queer vulnerability on stage (I've never been any good at falling in love / I fall so hard, I never get up / Don't hurt me, girl / I can't take it no more - Lyrics to Prove it to you) while dancing along. Introducing the song Baby from her last album Jaime, she opened up about the story behind it, simultaneously earnest and playful: “ I wrote this song when I was in emotional distress, a long time ago. I found myself in a relationship where I had to do all the work. (...) Now I’m gonna list all the reasons for they were wrong for all they did (laughs)”

The last show of her WHAT NOW tour, last night was a suspended moment of love and poetry. Even though we're uncertain about how she will continue to push boundaries in genre and music creation - having pushed them so far already - we trust she will guide us forward.