The Novo in Downtown Los Angeles has long been recognized by locals as a theatre for emerging musical acts to make their mark. Its staging is not over-the-top, nor is it undersized, but on Saturday night, the indoor club transformed into a portal of opulence for one woman: Argentine singer-songwriter Nathy Peluso, who made the most of this space, and very clearly demanded more of it.
In the span of a nearly two-hour showcase, Peluso nimbly maneuvered from genre to genre, with no limit on the number of twists: poignant power ballads, razor-sharp raps and salsa sequences with elements of Brazilian funk, EDM and bachata scattered throughout. The setlist reflected the best of her catalog but placed a shining light on “Grasa,” Peluso’s 16-song LP that won three Latin Grammys last year, including nods for best alternative song (for “El Día Que Perdí Mi Juventud”), best rap and hip-hop song (“Aprender a Amar”) and best long form video (“Grasa”). Continuing the celebration, Peluso set out on a European jaunt and her first tour dates across the United States.
Considering Saturday’s show was Peluso’s second-ever performance in the city, in addition to being the final bow of this tour, L.A. fans were primed and ready. The general sections — comprised of a wide demographic of all ages and descents (Peluso sings in Spanish, English and Italian) — of the venue turned into dance floors as concert-goers mimicked what they saw: Peluso airly prancing across the stage during the salsa portions of the evening for songs like “Mafiosa,” “Puro Veneno” and “La Presa,” with the latter featuring a theatrical delivery from Peluso calling out to la policia and dancing against a makeshift cage.
Peluso follows these red-hot moments with emotional shifts. Before you know it, she’s on the floor, her body sloped across the carpeted steps of her stage design. And all throughout, her vocals never flounder — her vibrato is as honeyed and robust as it is on the floor as when she’s standing upright, nor does it tremble when her hips sway to “Erotika,” a lavish and erotic salsa reminiscent of the genre’s 90s classics.
Peluso didn’t need backup dancers or any elaborate quirks to make this show feel as big as it did. In fact, the longest Peluso left the stage was less than a minute. In these cases, you can easily pick up on the relationship an artist has with the music or narrative they’re presenting. For Peluso, who sings and dances and acts with a palpable swagger, it seems she’s completely engrossed in a colorful world of her own making, and is overjoyed by having us watch.
While the audience caught their breath, Peluso remained remarkably composed, and described the tour as feeling “like a movie — it’s all been like a movie,” she concluded. “My story is short still, but thank you for being here with me now.”
