Usually, Mondays are quiet, even though it is never really quiet in Amsterdam. This particular Monday was different from all the other Mondays. Because this Monday evening, INJI was in town. INJI was determined to make this Monday evening a night to remember.
When INJI puts on a show, you can expect the energy to be going through the roof. Therefore, it was important that whoever would be opening this show, would meet this level of high energy. They should properly warm the crowd up for a full night of dancing.
Fortunately, INJI had secured exactly such an opening act who met those requirements. The coolest girl, DJ GUNS, took reins on the stage and played us a set which perfectly fitted the audience’s needs. She knew exactly what the crowd needed to hear. Even though the room was not yet filled, if you were to look around you, all you would see were dancing people.
GUNS played some Arabic, Turkish and Spanish tunes and also threw in some bangers like Bodak Yellow from Cardi B. GUNS made sure she did not leave that stage before every single attendee had been spotted dancing.
The wait before INJI her headlining set was not too long. After GUNS left the stage, it was quickly rebuilt as the DJ table was removed and a whole new platform was placed in the center of the stage.
INJI’s arrival was announced with blindingly bright flashing lights facing directly towards the crowd. INJI did not hesitate for a moment when she entered the stage and started her set with her latest hit ‘TEENANGST’. Anyone who knew a little bit of INJI, knew to expect an explosive amount of energy from her performance. INJI gave us said energy right with the very first song she performed. The crowd met her high energy right at the top, as everyone in the room was dancing, singing, screaming and jumping, even all the way in the corners in the back of the room.
INJI did not talk a lot during her show. What she did have to say was how much fun she was having that night. This was the third show of her second ever tour and she had been looking forward to this show for months. This might have been the most fun she has had during any show, she said.
During her song ‘Big Up’ INJI got a bottle of what appeared to be vodka. She offered a few front row fans to take a big gulp of the liquid, before taking some herself. INJI’s main goal this night was to have loads of fun and so far she was succeeding at that.
As she performed some songs from her newest album SUPERLAME like ‘BODEGA’ and ‘EVERYTHING IS NEVER ENOUGH’, INJI used hairography like a professional. There was almost never a moment when INJI stood in the same spot for longer than 5 seconds, but when she did, it was on the elevated platform in the middle of the stage with a blower pointed towards her face as if she were standing in the middle of a windy storm. The dramatic effect was very much present.
Before she sang one of her most popular songs, she told the crowd this song is about a situation in which she was behaving very toxic. There was a man involved who had left her and the way she was coping with her feelings was by making out with her friends. At one point she realised she was being totally toxic and had to put a stop to her behaviour. This is the moment when ‘Kissin My Friends’ was born.
INIJ addressed the crowd again when she said “If you guys know me, you know I love to fall in love. And if you know me better, you know that I love to get my heart broken!” Naturally, the fans loved it when she got very specific and she did. As she screamed that the next song goes out to Jeffrey, it is called ‘JEFFREY’. The music was so loud, Jeffrey did not need to be in the club to be able to hear it.
Usually, in this part of the show, INJI would get out her skirt she brought with her. However, she did not have it with her as she forgot it at home. That is why she asked if there was anyone in the crowd who had a bellydancing skirt with them she could borrow for this next song. Fortunately there was. There were multiple people even who offered to lend her their bellydancing skirts. So she got one of them and started dancing and singing to her song ‘BELLYDANCING’.
For anyone who was not familiar with the lyrics, INJI taught the audience a chant. When she would say “Good time!” the crowd would say “Good time!” and when she would say “Girl!’, the crowd would respond with “Girl!”. After finishing ‘GOOD TIME GIRL’, some people were performing zaghrouta and INJI responded with joy and excitement, recognising and acknowledging the sound.
INJI gave us some more of her background story, as she told us she moved to the US to study finance and take the more commonly accepted route to a financially stable life and future. She did her job working in finance and wrote a song as a joke. This song was no other than ‘GASLIGHT’ and marked the start of her music career.
This would be the last song of this show and before playing it, INJI wanted to hear some crazy ex stories from the fans. One was crazier than the other. A girl in the front told her that after four years together, her ex had cheated on her with a threesome with his best friend and his best friend’s boyfriend. After they broke up, he immediately texted her best friend if she wanted ‘to do something fun’.
INJI wanted to sing this song to all the crowds’ exes including her own. As she ended the show with this banger, everyone felt a sense of togetherness screaming the lyrics back to her.
