Kings Elliot and Stephen Sanchez “Wow” the Toronto Crowd

Toronto, ON – I’m about to embark on an event like none I have ever been a part of. While my musical interests have broadened greatly with age, I’m basically an old rocker dude, with a penchant for heavy metal. I certainly have no reason to be found at a pop show with fans that are younger than my own children. At least that was my mindset going in. I was about to be introduced to some very young artists, who were going to open my eyes (and ears) to something new.

KINGS ELLIOT

Born in Switzerland on September 5, 1994 (fun fact… this is my mother’s birthday… only not in 1994), Kings Elliot is one of Pop’s newest faces having only been on the scene for a few years. Now based in London, the singer released her first EP Chaos In My Heart in 2021. She received a Swiss Music Awards nomination for Best New Artist in 2022 for the recording and has since been turning heads and raising eyebrows on the pop music scene.

Not a lot is known about Kings Elliot (even her real name is unknown), as she keeps a lot of her deets to herself. One thing that she is very open about however is her mental health issues. She shares her struggles within the music she writes, as she strives to let her fans, and anybody else who will listen know that these challenges are real, but that there is help for those who seek it.

Currently, Kings Elliot is making the rounds with another Pop sensation by the name of Stephen Sanchez. On February 21^st, 2023 the tour headed to the Northernmost country in North America and played in Canada’s largest city of Toronto, Ontario. As is typical, I like to arrive at a venue early to get myself situated. I’ll admit here that I know very little of either of the acts on this bill, so I was not sure what to expect. As I arrived at The Opera House, I was amazed to see the lineup stretched down the street to the corner, and up the adjacent street. While standing in line, freezing our asses off, one Stephen Sanchez actually ran down the street and roused the crowd by yelling “COME ON TORONTO!” The girls in front of me went crazy as they quickly realized who it was. On the singer’s return, they were sure to step out and get a fist pump.

THE SUPPORT

Promotor Embrace Entertainment made the very wise decision to make this an all-ages show here in Toronto. Ticket demand overloaded the original venue of choice, and they were forced to move the show to The Opera House. Financially, I would assume a success, although that area is not my expertise. But from the standpoint of allowing underage fans to see concerts in small venues like this is such a positive idea. I love it! Who knows what stories these young concertgoers will have in 10 years when these artists become huge?

At 8:00, the lights inside the concert hall went down, and the already excited crowd went crazy. A young woman with her trademark blue hair dressed in a bandana, and all fingers adorned with rings appears before us. A soft, gentle, angelic voice sounds over the speakers singing the leadoff track “I’m Getting Tired of Me.” After her opening number, we get her first interaction with the crowd and learn a little about what drives her. She explains that the next song was written for her 14-year-old self. She dedicates “Cry Baby Cry” to anybody who needs it, and an enamored fan yells out “I LOVE YOU”.

Kings’ humbleness is felt in her interaction with the crowd as she tells them how honored she is to be on tour with Stephen Sanchez and how big of a fan she is. Her fans however are just as honored to be in the same venue as one of their idols. Case in point, Kings Elliot has the crowd singing their hearts out during the artist’s 5^th track “Ashes By The Morning.” It’s a bit of a magical experience to hear these young fans immersed in the moment.

As the show progresses, Kings Elliot really opens up to the fans about her struggles with her mental health. This is what drives her songwriting. You can feel her strong wishes for everybody who struggles on a daily basis and she gives them her heart. Her interactions are genuine and as she comes to her last track of the set, she stops. She takes a sip from her water bottle, puts her head down, and collects herself. She takes a deep breath and goes into “Call Me A Dreamer.” Her whole set is extremely emotional. It’s soft, and heartfelt, a completely impassioned 45 minutes with her and her heavenly voice.

Kings Elliot ranks up there as one of the best voices I have heard live on stage, and I I was quite moved by her performance.

THE MAIN EVENT

The headliner on this tour is a young man based out of America’s music capital of Nashville, Tennessee. At just 19 years old, Stephen Sanchez is quite possibly the next big thing. After releasing his debut What Was, Not Now, the singer/songwriter has been on the rise. The record deal came for him after posting a TikTok video of himself singing his original track “Lady By The Sea.” Sounds similar to one of Canada’s (and the world’s) biggest stars, Justin Bieber.

What I find a little peculiar is Sanchez’s genre of choice. You see, his music is a throwback to the 1950s. In fact, ahead of Kings Elliot’s performance, the venue was playing old Rock and Roll songs from, you guessed it…. The 1950s. And these kids in the audience were all dancing and singing to the music. I was astonished. Like is this a thing? I was about to discover that it is a real phenomenon.

As the lights went down for the opening act, a series of really cool circular lights on the backdrop started spinning, with fan-like blades. The band comes out, and the young girls in the crowd scream with joy. I notice immediately, that damn, these guys are young!! And then out comes the man himself, with the energy of an atomic bomb, swinging and spinning around. Arms in the air, fists-a-pumping! The fans go completely wild as he starts in with “Hey Girl.”

This is the first time that Stephen Sanchez has been in Canada, the red suit with white t-shirt an homage to the Canadian flag. In fact, the whole band is dressed sharply, all in suits. Again, reminiscent of the dress you’d see the rock and roll stars of the 50s wearing. Sanchez loves the venue he’s currently in, as he looks around in wide wonder.

As with Kings Elliot’s heartfelt emotion, Sanchez gives a heartfelt monologue about his shyness, and how he is only able to express his feelings through his songs. As though he is well mature beyond his years, he gives some sound advice about how small and short life is, and the importance of love, although sometimes painful. He then heads into a rendition of the Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody.” You could pretty much hear a pin drop in the concert hall other than the vocal range of Stephen Sanchez. I’m in just as much awe as the 950 fans. Just…. WOW! With his crooning vocals, guitar playing, and hip-swinging (ala Elvis Presley), this young man has the goods.

My Thoughts?

If there is ever a doubt that new music is dead, or being taken over by untalented performers using auto-tune, think again. On this cold February evening in Toronto, Canada, we witnessed two extraordinary talents with nothing but possibility ahead of them. It’s quite possible that we got a glimpse of two future giants in the music industry, and highly likely that we’ll have a story to tell about how we saw them in a small venue in Toronto, Canada. Certainly, the sky is the limit, and I was happy to be a part of it. In fact, other than the tour cameraman, there wasn’t another photographer in the pit! I’ll happily be able to say “I photographed them in 2023 before the world knew who they were.” Although, that’s likely to change real soon.

Click Here for the Full Gallery of the Evening!

If you happened to capture any shots of the night, feel free to tag us on social media at Shutter 16 Magazine and throw in #Shutter16 and #TwitFromThePit for the world to see. 

Kings Elliot Online

Stephen Sanchez Online