The line outside the Royale on Sunday night wrapped around multiple blocks. That is not something that often happens at the Royale, especially on a Sunday night in the summer. Faouzia sold out the Boston stop of her Film Noir Tour on a Sunday in August, and the crowd that filled every inch of that venue made it very clear they had not shown up out of curiosity. Chatting with some fans at the barricade, they were excited to mention they had flown in from Texas, California, and one from Europe.
It makes more sense when you know the context. Faouzia is the second most streamed artist in China, trailing only Taylor Swift. Her international following has been building for years, and Sunday night felt like she’s starting to really get the same kind of notoriety in the US as she has worldwide.
The stage setup felt intentionally spare. Gray curtains, a drummer, a pianist, a guitarist backing her up. Intentionally a bit sparse to highlight the stunning red dress she wore, and her even more stunning vocals. The Moroccan-Canadian singer-songwriter, classically trained and built for stages considerably larger than the Royale, gave the room a 90-minute reminder of what it sounds like when someone has genuinely elite vocal ability.
The show moved through FILM NOIR material almost entirely, the album she released in June that has already accumulated over 110 million global streams. “LOST MY MIND IN PARIS” opened the evening and set the cinematic, dramatic tone that the entire album was built around. “PORCELAIN,” the first single she released independently, a cover of Sting’s “Desert Rose” and “Minefields,” her 2020 collaboration with John Legend all fit perfectly into a setlist that felt like she had a full symphony behind her.
The night’s most powerful moment was “UNETHICAL.” The story behind the song is well known to anyone who has paid attention to the Film Noir Tour: Faouzia was engaged, her fiancé asked her to give up her music career to become his wife, she chose music over him, and wrote the song about it. On many stops she has performed it in a wedding dress, the one she would have worn. At this stop, she wore the same red dress but with a veil over it. As she sang “if you ever loved me, let me go” to a sold-out Royale, the room went completely still, entranced by both her vocals and the story behind the song.
She didn’t say much between songs, and really, she didn’t need to. The music did what it was supposed to do, and the voice behind it was more than enough.
“PEACE & VIOLENCE” closed the set and sent a packed Royale home into the Sunday night air, but not before stopping by a merch line that wrapped around the entire venue. If you’re not on the Faouzia train, her tour continues through the end of this month and you should do yourself the favor of checking it out in person.
Setlist:
- LOST MY MIND IN PARIS
- DON’T EVER LEAVE ME
- SWEET FEVER
- WEIRDO
- YOU’RE A NUISANCE
- TOUS CES MOTS
- PORCELAIN
- Fur Elise
- Desert Rose (Sting cover) ● Born Without A Heart
- Bad Dreams
- BIRTHDAY
- PRETTY STRANGER
- ORNAMENT
- we’ll have a family someday
- Minefields
- UNETHICAL
- ICE
- R.I.P. Love
- PEACE & VIOLENCE
Nathan Smith is a Providence-based music photographer and journalist focusing on capturing the special moments and unfiltered magic of live performances. Whether he’s shooting established artists at sold-out TD Garden shows or documenting the rise of emerging local bands, his goal is the same: to pull viewers directly into the heart of the moment.
His writing spotlights rising artists and local scenes, with a focus on telling the stories that often get overlooked. A lifelong music fan and musician himself, Nathan approaches interviews and portraits as conversations rather than transactions, building trust with artists so their genuine personalities can shine through. Whether he’s backstage, in the photo pit, or at home in front of the keyboard, he brings the same curiosity and care to every assignment.
Outside of his press work with Juice Box Press, Nathan works regularly as a photographer with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, as well as numerous bands in the Boston and Providence area. Nathan also plays violin with a local orchestra, follows Celtics basketball almost religiously, and is an avid fantasy reader.