Masego's Montreal Fix Your Face Tour

Musician Masego, R&B jazz multi-instrumentalist, is currently on the road for the Fix Your Face Tour and he happened to stop by in the wonderful city of Montreal. The venue was the Theatre Beanfield on Friday, August 28th. Masego provided a beautiful musical experience that truly brought the audience into a captivating trance with his fan favourites and new material off his new album Fix Your Face.

Masego (real name Micah Davis) is a Jamaican-American musician born in Kingston, Jamaica, and raised in Virginia. Masego's musical journey started from his upbringing in the church; he gained a passion for learning many instruments. For listeners unfamiliar with his work, he developed his self-described sound as “TrapHouseJazz.” Masego first gained attention through his innovative live looping performances using the Boss RC-505 Loop Station, blending elements of soulful R&B melodies, jazz improvisation, and hip-hop rhythms.

Masego explained in an interview with an R&B podcast called “Strictly Soul in South Africa” that the term “Fix your face” stems from memories of his childhood. He mentioned that growing up, he often heard the expression from his mom as a reminder to compose himself when company is around; he had a moment of realization that the phrase had taken on a new meaning in his adulthood and music career. He also mentioned the realities of being on tour, stating that, “sometimes we can’t be emotional right now we gotta push through. The show I did yesterday (I haven't slept) I was in a 14 hour layover in Turkey, got here and went straight to the show to perform and sing, the human in me just wanted to sleep I would love a meal but the thousands of people out there wanna hear my music so again I had to fix my face and do that.” For Masego, that was an example of having to “Fix Your Face.” he hopes his fans know he does not see it in a dishonest way; he sees it more as an act of professionalism and dedication to his fans. The true essence of the message explores the tension between vulnerability and perseverance, living up to the example of showing up for yourself, others and important things in life even when it becomes overwhelming. The expression carries a dual meaning: a cultural expectation to remain in control and an artist’s commitment to fulfilling their purpose despite personal issues. The message is best captured (in my opinion) in one of his songs off the album called “Charlie Brown” where his mom appears on the outro with a very heart-warming reminder. In the song she says: 

"ok, I hear everything that you’re saying, and I know that you’re down right now, but this is what you prayed for, this is what we prayed for, this is what you’ve been working for. So you can’t let a down day become a down month, okay? You got to fix your face, remember who you are, remember whose you are, and get back to work. That's what we do, that's what we do. You're gifted, you’re talented, you’re fearfully and wonderfully made, and I know you're like 'Mom, I don’t need you to preach to me.' I'm not preaching to you; I'm just letting you know there’s greatness in you, and baby, you haven’t scratched the scratch. Go get them.”

It reminds everyone who has difficult days but those days shouldn’t define a person’s outlook on their future. The inclusion of his mom’s voice transforms the track into more than a song for me, it becomes a personal reminder to rely on faith.

Masego’s breakthrough came with the viral hit "Tadow”, a collaboration with French producer FKJ, followed by other fan favourites such as “Navajo,” ”Yamz,” and ”Mystery Lady ft. Don Toliver”. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with other artists such as Kehlani on the song “Hate The Club” and Montreal’s very own Producer Kaytranada on the song “Need It.” Beyond his collaborations and hit singles, Masego has earned recognition from the music industry for his colourful artistry and he’s musicianship that later land him a Grammy nomination for Best Progressive R&B Album, highlighting not only his talent as a vocalist and songwriter but also his abilities as a producer, arranger and a multi-intrumentalist. Today, Masego is known as one of the most innovative artists in contemporary R&B. His ability to bridge music genres while staying himself authentically helped him stay consistent, resilient, and pivot through his music journey.

Masego had an opener named Lekan, an R&B singer who is Nigerian-born, living in Brooklyn, but was raised in Columbus, Ohio. Lekan warmed up the crowd with his songs that came from his new EP “For All The Right Reasons Vol .1.” This was my first time ever hearing his songs and truly I'm a new fan! The vocal range he has was refreshing to hear, and the soulfulness in his delivery when singing live had another effect on the crowd. Lekan was interacting with the crowd, making everyone dance and vibe to his songs, plus he had his guitarist named “E,” who has been with him throughout his whole music journey; their presence set the mood for the rest of the night of soulful R&B.

The Venue was packed wall to wall! And even the mezzanine was full — the kind of sold-out crowd that you can sense was there for the artistry that Masego emulates. Everyone knew every single song before Masego started singing them. The audience was absolutely captivated by the polished set that he and his band executed. The second Masego walked out, the whole venue was already screaming his name he opened with “WonderWoman” at full energy! The band behind him, which is worth mentioning, his musical director held it down on the keys and bass at the same time, coming in and out with these jazzy runs that made every song feel like it could transition into something else. The live playback engineer deserves credit too — the mix between the real band and the electric backing tracks was done seamlessly. I felt the energy of the concert continuously growing into a soulful R&B night from the way that the songs tugged at my heart. Masego even mentioned at some point in the concert that the venue smelled like “shea butter and cigarettes,” emphasizing the energy in the room that he felt from all of his fans.

Masego's vocals and musicianship truly came to play when he told the crowd that he loved our energy in Montreal. There were a few magical moments where he created two songs from scratch, witht the first song using the LOOP 505 RC, and the second song using the piano, using both his vocals on the spot and looping the vocals with beats that were pre-recorded. The reaction from the crowd was well received. Masego really showed his talented way with instruments when he broke out into a saxophone solo to the most soulful track on the album “Breathe," adding another dimension to the stage performance. He played multiple instruments such as the electrical keys, piano, saxophone and Loop 505 RC.

If this was anyones first time seeing Masego live, they truly left the concert with the feeling of this wasn’t just a show you watched — it was one you truly felt . By the final song, everyone was already on their feet, and when Masego walked off the stage, the audience had so much energy. Nobody was ready to leave — 5 minutes straight of the entire venue chanting “MA-SE-GO, MA-SE-GO” not wanting the night to end; he was well-received by our energy because he came back out for one more that song nobody was expecting with the song “Tadow.” That's the song that most of his fans got introduced to in first place. To me, that’s how you make sure nobody forgets a show. Then, the moment nobody saw coming. Mid-set, Masego felt our welcoming energy and he stopped and said the energy in the room was too good to not turn this moment into something new, so right there he began to build a song from scratch. He went over to the Loop 505 RC and had the entire audience chanting “ WALA-WALA BANG-BANG” back at him. Then he made it the hook, then started to freestyle about Montreal. Seeing him do this, you can tell it wasn’t rehearsed. That’s a room and a musical genius feeding off his fans in real time, making it special and having an impactful impression for his fans to talk about until he comes back again.

In conclusion, what I can say about Masego is he didn’t just perform that night , from a song built out of thin air to a 5 minutes standing ovation. One thing was evident all night, we weren’t just watching Masego perform — we were part of the performance he gave that room full of fans a night we won’t forget.