Many mainstream artists who come from humble beginnings broke into the mainstream by opening for popular artists. Upcoming singer-songwriter and producer, Underscores, is following in those footsteps as she kicks off the Music, Fashion, and Film Tour, accompanying British pop star Charli XCX.
Underscores is not new to the music scene–she began uploading music at 13 on SoundCloud, but has only now begun amassing a larger following. With the release of her most recent album, “U,” she saw an influx of listeners after critical acclaim and positive reviews from both internet discussions and professional publications. The album was released in March of this year and has already amassed 58 million Spotify streams. Specifically, the song “The Peace” recently began trending on social media, with popular internet figures and celebrities posting to the song on TikTok.
She started her own tour, The Galleria Tour, in late May, with dates spanning through November. In June, she announced she would open for Charli XCX, and to take the opportunity, she had to cancel the September dates of her own tour. All ticket-holders received full refunds after the cancellation. Responses have been mixed, with some fans and fellow musicians praising Underscores for her decision; her voice will now be heard by thousands of fans across the country in arenas, a huge step up from the small venues she played on the Galleria Tour. Other fans feel as if she is betraying those who have supported her since the start.
In her statement announcing the cancellations, she claimed she would reschedule the tour dates. In an Instagram post, she wrote, “I pinky pinky promise I’ll be back soon – we’re already working on it.” Fans appreciate the sentiment but worry that her success after the tour will drive up ticket demand and prices, lowering their chances of getting tickets. No further announcements of new show dates have been made, which makes fans skeptical of her claim.
Underscores’ popularity is already on the rise, and banking on this opportunity when she’s already on the way up is a reasonable and smart decision career-wise. At the same time, fans can’t help but worry she will forget her roots on her way to the top.
Popline News 