Girl power was in full throttle on November 5th at TAB. Vanessa Fernandez opened the evening, with a guest appearance by Micheala Therese, and finally the headliner Roxanne Tataei aka Rox took the stage as the brightest star of the night.

Vanessa Fernandez, featuring Adrian Yuen on guitar, proved her vocal prowess with her soulful interpretations of songs like Teardrop by Massive Attack and other familiar favourites. Sadly the talented powerhouse performed only one of her original pieces Not Your Bitch, and its a great song, but I was looking forward to hear a few more originals in the set. Michaela Therese joined her for a one song, a John Mayer cover, before Rox took the stage.

10 seconds into her first song No Going Back Rox proved why she earned her nomination in the “Best UK and Ireland New Act” category of this year’s MTV Europe Music Awards. Like a seasoned performer, her charisma was evident as she went from upbeat numbers like Breakfast In Bed to more emotional tunes like Forever Always Wishing and Sad Eyes (dedicated to an elderly gentleman fan in the audience). By the time she performed her first single My Baby Left Me off her debut album Memoirs, everyone was up on their feet dancing!

It was hard to believe standing there onstage was a 22 year old. Vivacious, confident and candid; living a dream many would envy. Hard work does pay, as Rox proves. Read about her interview on her roots as a musician here . Even after a full hour set she was sporting enough to respond the audience’s cry for a 2 song encore.

There is definitely more to expect from this rising starlet. So dear Rox, come back soon. We miss you already.

Memoirs is available at all good record stores

-Nicole Lee