Rising indie pop artist Alessi Rose headlined her first Los Angeles show at the Moroccan Lounge on May 6, 2025. The show was one of four U.S. stops on the for your validation Tour, the London-based musician’s first time headlining across the pond. Despite this, Rose has already built an impressive American fanbase: For hours leading up to the show, a line of mostly young women and girls dressed in lace and pastels lined up around the building, their pre-show excitement unaffected by the rainy L.A. weather.
This pre-show excitement peaked as the venue doors opened to a surprise from Rose: a mysterious pair of headphones given to every fan. As fans crowded around the stage, Rose took to her Instagram story to explain. “L.A…. we have a surprise for u,” she wrote, “ur gonna be given some headphones on ur way in… when u hear [“Headphones On” by Addison Rae] in the pre-show put ur headphones on.” When the time came, Rose’s upcoming single, “Same Mouth,” played through the headphones, and fans danced and screamed as if the show had already started. Rose later announced, at the show and online, that “Same Mouth” is set for release on May 16, 2025.
Soon after the “Same Mouth” surprise and a captivating opening performance by Stella Lefty, Rose took the stage and opened with the punchy and energetic track, “IKYK.” She maintained the energy with “eat me alive,” which features a fun and fast-paced lyrical outro that she encouraged fans to scream along to. In moments like these, the connection between Rose and her fans was electric and undeniable: Every fan sang along like it was their personal anthem, clearly well-rehearsed from singing along to Rose’s music in their everyday lives. Rose was feeling the electricity too, dancing in the flashing pink and purple hues that illuminated her stage, and pointing out her microphone to the crowd to capture their screams.
Rose slowed the night down and grabbed her acoustic guitar to introduce “don’t ask questions,” prompting her first heart-to-heart chat with the crowd. “This song is about this non-relationship that I had with a guy,” she said. “It was super ambiguous… I have OCD, and ambiguity doesn’t go along well with that.” The performance gave the crowd the first taste of her live versatility: While Rose knows how to get a room dancing, she’s also mastered the art of tear-jerking pop ballads that have every girl feeling like she took a page out of their diary.Â
The most impressive part of the night wasn’t Rose’s stellar live vocals or captivating stage presence (though they are tough to beat), but how the relationship between her and her fans comes to life when they’re face to face under neon stage lights. After a touching performance of her unreleased song, “Stella,” Rose said, “That song isn’t out yet, and you already know the words, cause that’s how things go around here.” From the looks of it, an outsider wouldn’t know that this was Rose’s first tour in the States—not with a sold-out crowd of fans in coordinated outfits who’ve memorized each of Rose’s cues for them to sing along. 22-year-old Rose performs with the confidence of a seasoned professional, and connects with her fans as if she’s seen the same faces on tour for years. The next song she performed, the unreleased “Same Mouth” from the night’s earlier surprise, further demonstrated her unique and unbreakable bond with her fans. “You’ve heard it once,” she joked, “You better know the fucking words now.” Thanks to sheer determination and some help from social media replay, they did.Â
Rose upped the energy again to close out the night. She showcased her vocal power during an extended rendition of “oh my.” The pop-rock track “CRUSH!” saw her sass, attitude, and hair flips in full swing. For the final song, “pretty world,” the crowd had her full attention as she took turns holding hands with whatever fans she could reach, and blew kisses and waved to those she couldn’t.Â
Between her exceptional songwriting, enchanting singing voice, and ability to captivate a headlining crowd, it becomes clear: Alessi Rose is rising to be our next indie pop powerhouse. Rose concluded the for your validation Tour with a following night at the Moroccan Lounge in Los Angeles, and is now on the road with Dua Lipa, opening sold-out stadiums and arenas.Â