By Josh Herwitt //
Say She She with Katzù Oso //
The Belasco – Los Angeles
February 5th, 2026 //
No matter how we feel about each of our own lives right now, it’s becoming increasingly easier to feel more disheartened about the direction of this country. If you pay attention to the news or at least read headlines on your phone, you probably know what we mean.
Because let’s face it — as democracy continues to die a slow death in the U.S. at the hands of a corrupt and autocratic administration led by one of history’s worst human beings, it can be challenging to remain optimistic about the future.
There’s no time to give up hope, though. If there’s one thing we know, it’s that live music can serve as a powerful tool to bring people together in these anxious and rather uncertain times. It has in the past and we have no reason to believe that won’t continue into the future. Nevertheless, we can’t think of a better up-and-coming act currently to carry that torch than Say She She.
The “discodelic soul” group formed by classically trained singers Piya Malik, Sabrina Cunningham and Nya Brown has the sound and spirit that should appeal to a wide demographic. Just listen to their music for a couple of minutes and its funky, feel-good vibe immediately comes through with the ability to uplift you even on a bad day.
Galactic have always been one of those bands for me, and while Say She She haven’t long been linked to the jam scene like the New Orleans funk outfit has, they fit into the same category from an emotional standpoint. I don’t know anyone — and frankly I’m not sure I would want to — who could have a strong negative reaction to what they have been doing since forming somewhat unexpectedly in 2021.
One evening in Harlem was all it took Malik, Cunningham and Brown to find lightning in a bottle when they joined forces at a house party for a spontaneous rooftop singing session. Malik and Cunningham, in fact, had already been friends for a few years who began collaborating after meeting as neighbors in the same apartment building and overhearing each other practicing their craft. But it wasn’t until Brown came into the picture that Say She She were officially born.
Connecting over a shared love for Nile Rodgers’ music, the trio started writing music and subsequently landed on the name Say She She as a tribute to 70’s disco and funk pioneers Chic before working with other musicians who were pursuing a similar sonic path in bands such as Orgone, The Dap-Kings, The Shacks and Chicano Batman. Malik, Cunningham and Brown would ultimately enlist Orgone members Dan Hastie (keyboards), Sam Halterman (drums), Dale Jennings (bass) and Sergio Rios (guitar) to be their backing band and within a stretch of 12 months were receiving critical acclaim.
Say She She’s debut LP Prism might have put them on the map in the midst of a global pandemic, but 2023’s follow-up Silver is what opened the most eyes (and ears) when public radio gave album opener “Reeling” as well as “Forget Me Not” the airtime they both deserve. With venerable stations like KCRW, KEXP and WXPN heaping praise, they would go on to be named in several “Best of” lists — including our own (see our picks here) — by year’s end and grace some of the biggest stages in the world from Glastonbury Festival to the iconic Hollywood Bowl.
The release of Say She She’s third full length Cut & Rewind back in October, meanwhile, has produced another career milestone for the Brooklyn product in the form of its first major headlining tour. Spanning 24 cities across North America with a pitstop in LA at The Belasco, we made sure to attend at least one of the five California dates. Because what remains undeniable about Say She She is the sheer joy that emanates from not only the music they make, but also the entire unit during live performances. It’s easy to tell all seven members are genuinely enjoying themselves up there, and that kind of infectious energy onstage ends up quickly extending to the crowd.
This wasn’t my first time seeing Say She She in the flesh, however. On a whim last summer I actually caught their free show at the Skirball Cultural Center that seemed to draw both young to old under the stars. Whatever age they were was inconsequential because everyone appeared to be getting down to everything the septet served up over the course of its 90-minute set.
Considering that the Orgone crew has called LA home since the 90’s, it’s certainly a little extra special to see Say She She perform in the City of Angels. In addition to nailing a number of tunes off Cut & Rewind that seamlessly coincided with their older material, they know how to work in a fun cover or two for good measure whether it’s opening with James Gang’s “Collage” or keeping Talking Heads’ “Slippery People” permanently on the setlist (you won’t hear us complain if they do).
Many of the divisions we face today are greater than they ever have been, yet in spite of that, Say She She are shining a bright light in quite a dark world as a microcosm of our current society. If closing the night with “Do All Things With Love” was any indication of where Malik, Cunningham and Brown stand with their message to anyone willing to listen, there’s no doubt they have the right charisma and recipe to bridge even our largest social gaps. Maybe it’s because they give us something to hope for when it can feel like there’s not, and that’s something a lot of folks could use at the moment.
Setlist:
Collage (James Gang cover)
Forget Me Not
Disco Life
Prism
Take It All
Under the Sun
Reeling
Cut & Rewind
Miracles
Chapters
Questions
Shop Boy
Slippery People (Talking Heads cover)
Messages From the Stars (The RAH Band cover)
Astral Plane
She Who Dares
Encore:
C’est si bon
Do All Things With Love
