Billie Marten glows in West Hollywood's sold-out Roxy Theatre

The iconic Sunset Strip in West Hollywood wasn’t as bustling as it usually is on a Tuesday night compared to a weekend, but there was still a line down the block outside of the Roxy Theatre on June 6th, 2023. A diverse crowd of young teenagers, elementary-aged children, and adults waited with partners, friends, and family for Billie Marten, as Los Angeles was only the second city of her summer 2023 North American tour after a run in Europe.

Singer-songwriter Olivia Kaplan started off the night as the opener with similarly soft-spoken but strong vocals and a commanding stage presence that instantaneously quieted the room as she cruised through tunes on her debut album. To my surprise, Olivia rejoined the stage as Billie’s bass player and backup vocalist when it was finally time for the headlining set to begin.

The long-awaited Billie Marten came out in a simple, shorter silk black dress with puffy sleeves and matching black platform sandals; a look perfectly matched to her elegant music. Dim lighting in the 500-person sold-out venue continued throughout the show to match Billie’s gentle and ethereal music, with her discography being brought even more to life when assisted live by a guitar, bass, and strong drumset, as she highlighted her recently released fourth album that debuted two months prior in April.

Until this point, I realized the quiet and awestruck crowd was so respectful of Billie’s slower discography; I really felt like it was only her and I in the room. She also acknowledged older crowd favorites through her previous albums released in 2016, 2019, and 2021 that many fans had more time to adore, at one point stopping the set to ask the crowd what they thought she was going to play next. She heard many excited shouts as people could hardly hold in their eager responses when asked so directly which songs were their favorites “Milk and Honey!”, “She Dances!”, and “Vanilla Baby!”. Nevertheless, expressed in both the squeals of excitement and complete silence, it was a special night for everyone at the Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles, California to witness Billie’s intimate stage presence in a venue with such close proximity. Her crystal clear voice is perfectly emulated in real life and the opportunity to see her golden aura live is not to be missed!