Written and Reviewed by Krysta Ayers
APRIL 25, Austin, Texas—Anees is on the Homesick 2025 tour for his album under the same name. Austin is his third stop and we are an early, and excited bunch as we watch from the standing room at Emo’s. With 1.9 million monthly Spotify listeners, and a recent collaboration with Macklemore, Anees is quickly rising in popularity.
Dressed in overalls, a t-shirt, and neon construction vest, Anees was pulling off his own (vocal) work on stage. His banter was perfectly executed; he threw out rubber ducks; danced, jumped and ran up and down the stage; and dug deep into his diaphragm to hit each note all night long. He was the embodiment of the energetic, soulful music blasting through the speakers. The setlist was a love letter to his work, a heartfelt nod to the hard work he’s put in since 2020, when he started releasing music.
He sang “My Girl” (his song, not a cover of The Temptations’) and coaxed the crowd to wave their hands side to side during 2023’s “sunny day.” He had a full band backing him, all of whom added a robust sound to each song, each hi-hat or bass chord punctuating the songs with more grit and edginess than the bouncy recorded versions you can stream.
The crowd sang along to “Free Me” and “Love is Crazy.” The aforementioned collab with Macklemore? A song called “HIND’S HALL 2” with MC Abdul and Amer Zhar also featuring on the track. And when that played, the room breathed a new life. Everyone joined in to shout the lyrics, “In our lifetime we will be free / and they can bury us / but they will find out we are seeds.”
It was an emotional show, and for the majority of it, I watched through tear-clouded eyes. He stood on stage at one point to take it all in and say, “I do not take this shit for granted…I just want to say I love you forever.”
Nearing the end, Anees brought out Indian rapper Ahbi the Nomad who played his song “Sex and Drugs” to an excited and welcoming room of listeners. Anees’ newly released song, “alone” was also on the set list—received well within a crowd who was obviously on top of his discography, no single going under the radar.
All too soon it was over. He played “goodbye,” giving us simple choreography as he sang, “Fuck off, get lost, goodbye.” We were a choir adding off-key (but well-intentioned) harmonies as Anees bounced around, good energy never depleting, and bid us farewell. If you’re the type that loves when sad or powerful lyrics are masked by upbeat tempos and catchy melodies, I can’t think of a better addition to your playlists than Anees. And if you’re able to catch him live, he’s worth every penny…and as a bonus, you’ll feel your soul cleansed in the special way that only music can accomplish.