Cleo Sol Heals The Hollywood Bowl With Worship, Song, and Love

A rare event happened in Los Angeles on Friday, April 4: the dreamlike British singer, Cleo Sol debuted her first headlining performance on the West Coast to a sold-out show at the Hollywood Bowl. The historic venue has a musical heritage of hosting some of the best shows in Los Angeles’s concert history, including summer shows by Ella Fitzgerald (1960) and Stevie Wonder (1970). This was the first time I could hear a single pendrop amongst the crowd, many in a quiet, meditative state in wonder over Sol’s uncanny command over her singing voice. The Serbian-Spanish and Jamaican musician is popular for being the vocalist in the groovy duo Sault (with her partner Inflo). Sol possesses a strong discography of nurturing music rooted in motherhood, love, and pick-your-head-up pathos. Her diaristic music looks incredibly inward and the singer’s on-stage performance carries a sense of elegant mystique.

The passionate spirit of Cleo Sol’s live performance echoes faith and care. She performed in front of thousands with the utmost intimacy, pouring her heart and soul out to fans who have traveled far and wide to see her. Opening with a “Love Yourself” mantra, Cleo Sol harmonizes with her live band which consists of Jamaican drums, chimes, a line-up of background crooners, and a guitarist. As soon as she stepped out from the white arches concealing backstage, she held herself high with large hoops, flowing lioness hair fit for a goddess, and a shiny dress with studded heels that she removed halfway through the show to dance bashfully, barefoot. 

With her classic band arrangement and assembly of singers, Cleo Sol turned the Hollywood Bowl into a gospel ceremony. Some folks were glued to their seats as if they were experiencing a sermon, while others praised standing up, allowing the sonics to overtake their bodies. The elated 35-year-old mother was dancing across the stage the entire 25 song set — releasing effortless runs and riffs. She greeted the LA crowd and passed the microphone over to crowd members to recite the lyrics of her most loved ballads, looking to interact with her fans she seldom meets in the States. 

She performed tracks from her albums, Gold, Mother, and Rose In The Dark. The crescendo breakdown of “When I’m In Your Arms” got the audience on their feet as Sol sashayed on the stage. We were all experiencing her safe space, and she was bridging us closer to ourselves. During her set, she shouted out London and Jamaica. Cleo Sol offered her Jamaican instrumentalists space to feel out their musical devices, leading to spontaneous flows and arrangements. Before arriving in Los Angeles, Cleo Sol wrapped up three sold-out performances at New York’s Radio City Music Hall in late March. The artist who relies on her spirituality never travels across the pond so this felt as a special gift for her Los Angeles fans. 

During the kaleidoscopic light transitions at the Bowl, Cleo Sol’s “Young Love” was introduced with cobalt blue Jazz lights, Sol shouted out to her son sitting on a stool with her singers — he is the main source of inspiration behind a vast majority of her music. The nurturing energy beneath Cleo Sol’s soothing vocal range heals the Hollywood Bowl; many people were in tears. Sol’s diverse fanbase ranges from Black aunties to elders to Gen Z musicphiles, all celebrating the existence of an artist that pushes for the pureness in humanity, love, and care. “Is anyone cold, are you tired?” Cleo Sol would interject between moments of spiritual rundowns. Always reminding us that Sol’s most beautiful talent is her ability to open her heart as much as she opens her diaphragm to hit smooth whistle tones and match her choir’s harmonies.

Between tracks, Cleo Sol would describe the meaning of why a song like “Build Me Up” was created, she would explain the music was created to free her and give herself self-healing. Raised hands would fill the night sky as if we were all in worship. The angelic “Build Me Up” chorus transformed the venue into a space of soul–nourishing reverence. 

To close the final moments of the show, Cleo Sol surprised guests who sat in the higher levels of the bowl. She came out under a spotlight, gleaming like a heavenly spirit, while angelically singing “Know That You Are Loved.” The motherly nature of Cleo Sol’s artistry gave a metaphysical hug to everyone who could hear her reassuring words. The Hollywood Bowl is experiencing history with Cleo Sol’s performance, a once-in-a-lifetime voice graced the stage’s pantheon of renowned musicians.