:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/mentormedier/MXOJIUNKYNF6PO4EAHTBYR7YOA.jpg "Jason Derulo in Oslo Spektrum during the Nu King tour – Dagsavisen")
The American star Jason Derulo crowned Oslo and Oslo Spektrum a full party zone on Friday evening. Read about the concert and see the photos here.
—
4
CONCERT
Jason Derulo
Oslo Spectrum
Audience: Approx. 10,000
—
He of course ends up in the bar in the end, throwing away the T-shirt which, of all paradoxes, has a classic Iron Maiden motif, before he has to start “Talk Dirty” three times because the howls of the audience knock out his earplugs so he can’t hear his own voice. It goes without saying that Jason Derulo lifts the roof over a packed Oslo Spektrum.
It’s only been a week since Jason Derulo released his new album ‘Nu King’, his first since ‘Everything Is 4’ which arrived in 2015. Not that he’s been away these nearly nine years. On the contrary, the singer, songwriter and actor who has been streamed over 18 billion times has been pumping out singles and staying in the public eye through thick and thin. A loud break with the record company Warner and an even louder break on the home front are examples from the latter category. The very most broadcast on TikTok by perhaps the artist in the world who has been the best at breaking the SoMe codes.
Among the songs that have come and kept the Derulo name hot are “Swalla” with guests such as Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign, and the French-language and beautiful pop song “Tip Toe” with French Montana. Both are on the new album, which consists of a total of 27 songs and stretches towards an hour and a half. Early in the concert in Oslo Spektrum, eluro, or Jason Joel Desrouleaux as he is actually called, mentions both record company disputes and other things as the reason why it has taken so long. But now he’s here and he’s got a new album under his shirt. It’s not just good news on a night like this.
A brand new album and a new world tour also means a number of new songs on the playlist. Although some have been out for several years already, playing brand new songs that very few have a relationship with at a concert is the same as chasing people to the bar. So the fact that he is starting the world tour up here in the north may have a practical reason. There are good reasons why, for example, a remote Oslo serves as a pleasant part of the run-in for an RnB and pop show so ambitious and crowded that it surpasses most of the pop shows we’ve seen on this stage.
One thing is the impressive stage itself, complete with a number of effects and two large figures in the ceiling which will of course have a function before the evening is over. Something else and more commendable is the large band he brings with him, which gives the show an organic touch that many of Derulo’s colleagues do not have when they choose to book the music and focus on singback. And then there is the choreographed part as well.
Also read reviews of this weekend’s new Norwegian songs from Tyr, Blomst, Oscar Blesson, Astrid S, Nothing Personal, Villskudt, Jona, Han Herman and Sondrey
Deluro alone seems to feed a good percentage of America’s very best dancers, and as a former dance student himself, he sets the list at the top level for the large ensemble he brings with him. It’s a crazy run up on stage with both female and male dancers in addition to Derulo himself who almost orchestrates the whole thing. The show factor is at times sky-high, while the choreography leaves as little as possible to the imagination in the most sensual and sexually charged parts, to the public’s open excitement. Derulo’s songs don’t leave their fingers crossed. There’s love, flirting and sex, and that reflects the show in a raw, twerky and yet quite sleazy way.
Then a concert with Jason Derulo of this format is more of a party on the floor than a concert in itself, with all the “stories” streamed live through close to ten thousand mobile phones. A show-wise highlight midway through is a semi-acoustic and melodious “It Girl”, while with Ben E. King’s classic “Stand By Me” as a starting point, he creates “Hands On Me” for one of the concert’s funniest soul moments.
Early on, “Breathing” from the “Future History” album set the standard for the rest of the concert in terms of volume and audience engagement, but already on “Cheyenne” from “Everything Is 4” soon after, he shows that the show should also contain friction. It is a heavy and sloppy raw version that dresses the rougher side of an artist who has a Haitian background and an upbringing in Florida that has given him an extended set of impulses also musically.
And now the “crooner” also enters. Michael Bublé appears on the large video back wall and sets up the sensual and Latin-rhythmic “Spicy Margarita”, which is basically a duet between Derulo and Bublé. It is already one of the most popular songs from the brand new record, and perhaps suggests that Derulo fans are getting older.
From there on, it’s a pure parade with “Swalla” and “Don’t Wanna Go Home” that make the sing-alongs resound under the roof. There is debris in the machinery even though the dancing and the show have found form, and the mistakes are taken with smiles and laughter. The least known of the new songs make the queues for the toilets and bars grow like a spring flood, and a couple of times along the way the whole thing also stops for technical reasons.
But when this show is rolling, it doesn’t matter that not all the songs are equally infectious. The dancers radiate personality and are given a lot of space to define their own movements and sequences on stage, while Derulo himself has scaled back a little on the shouting of his own name in favor of greater focus on the song material. And there he is one of the best in this genre as he is obviously seeking a wider entertainer role than he has previously had.