The artists that we love in our teenage years often become a defining force in our lives. They see us through our first loves, our first heartbreaks, friendships and fallouts and everything in between. We listen to them, we love them, we shell out half our savings to see them perform live. But very few of us will ever share a stage with them. 

Genevieve Stokes is the exception.

On April 23, the singer-songwriter, who released her newest EP With a Lightning Strike in October, opened for Role Model’s “No Place Like Home” concert in Boston. “This is a dream,” Stokes said into the microphone as she took in the thousands of people gathered at MGM Music Hall. “I’ve been a fan of Role Model since I was in high school.”

And now, Role Model is a fan of Stokes. The two collaborated on Role Model’s song “Something, Somehow, Someday,” and during his performance, he reaffirmed his admiration and gratitude for her.

The praise is well-earned. Although this was the biggest show Stokes had ever played, she was a paragon of grace and composure as she took to the stage at MGM Music Hall. 

Soaked in purple light and mist, Stokes leaned into the dreamy, ethereal energy that permeates her latest EP. She swayed mesmerizingly as she performed “River” and “Dreamer,” two fan favorites from With a Lightning Strike. 

Like her latest album, Stokes’s set walked the line between confessional and angelic. Her voice was light and airy, perfectly capturing the gossamer-fragile emotion of “With a Lightning Strike.” Her soaring vocal runs filled the venue and hung in the air — heartfelt, haunting, hypnotic. It was a performance imbued with an unflinching introspection and unapologetic rawness reminiscent of Fiona Apple, who Stokes has frequently cited as an inspiration. 

The set was dominated by slower piano moments that demonstrated Stokes’s commitment  to emotional authenticity and vulnerability. With the spotlight on her, it was easy to see the feelings written across her face as she performed. Beyond piano ballads, some songs leveraged drums, synths — even accordion. By and large, however, Stokes chose to forego elaborate instrumental backing so that her vocal performance remained the focus of the set.

The lighting design wove new dimensions into the tapestry of Stokes’s performance, further accentuating the themes at the heart of her EP. When the heavy purple lighting lifted, it was replaced by shifting gold and magenta beams drifting downward like sunlight through a tree canopy or mist rising off a waterfall. Stokes has spoken extensively about the influence of nature — particularly the landscape in her home state of Maine — on her music, and the lighting brought flashes of this natural beauty into MGM Music Hall. 

Alternatively, during Stokes’s performance of “Parking Lot,” the stage was cloaked in darkness. Nine golden beams of light focused on Stokes as she sang, her voice silken like running water. “Parking Lot” is a song that dwells on loneliness and internal obsession — and spotlighted alone on stage, it was as if Stokes was truly the only person in the world.

Stokes broke up the heaviness and solemnity of the set with moments of ironic playfulness, such as her cheerful introduction of one song with the words, “This song is about killing someone and burying them in your backyard!” She also took a moment to shout out her fans from Maine, asking “Is anyone from Maine?” to uproarious applause. “This next song is for Mainers,” she answered in approval before launching into “Portland Nights.”

To the delight of Lana Del Ray devotees in the audience, Stokes also delivered an enchanting rendition of “Video Games.” It was the perfect choice for her set — popular enough that even those who are less familiar with Stokes’s own discography would recognize it, but also thematically and musically similar to the rest of Stokes’s set. “I learned this cover yesterday on piano,” Stokes said a bit sheepishly before she began. Clearly, she is a quick study — the cover was flawless, and the audience was captivated from start to finish.

Stokes ended the set with her most well-known song, “Habits.” The song calls to mind Regina Spektor’s “Fidelity,” another unsurprising parallel given Stokes’s childhood adoration for Spektor. The stage was drenched in red and yellow, immersing Stokes in a warm haze. The familiar favorite was the perfect conclusion to an enchanting set that introduced listeners to the breadth and beauty of Stokes’s discography.

To some, Stokes may seem like a surprising choice to open for Role Model. Their music is clearly distinct in mood, sound, and genre — Role Model’s music brims with warmth, while there is something undeniably cool-toned about Stokes’s discography. But the unexpected juxtaposition allowed each artist to shine in their own way, and their shared love for New England, where they were both raised, contributed to a sense of local pride that made Role Model’s hometown show even more special. 

On April 23, Stokes delivered a powerful opening act for Role Model. But as her largest show yet, her performance at MGM was also the opening act for the next phase in her career — and as she shares her artistry, talent, and inspiration with wider audiences, there’s little doubt that for Stokes, this is just the beginning. 

// Makenna Walko ’27 is a DJ for The Blues Hangover and a guest writer for Record Hospital.