Rebecca Black is finally becoming the pop star she was meant to be. The 29-year-old’s career began when she was 13, but the 2020s are becoming her decade. Black has been a DJ since 2018, but her rise gained momentum in 2024 when her DC Boiler Room DJ set went viral. About a month later, her first single, “TRUST!,” from the Salvation EP dropped — a playfully sensual EDM track with a pulsing club beat. Her transformation was not to be ignored. Black followed up with “Sugar Water Cyanide” and proved she was here to stay in the hyperpop dance sphere. Salvation officially dropped in February 2025, and she backed it with a successful tour — one of the stops being a sold-out show at the 9:30 Club.
Age of the Exhibitionist (2026) is Black’s latest work, receiving praise from critics and fans alike. I saw her perform at All Things Go Festival at Merriweather Post Pavilion back in September. Her set was delayed and shortened due to mysterious technical issues, but regardless, she gave us a show. It was a preview of her headlining show at the 9:30 Club, which was quite the upgrade.
On Oct. 15, Black opened the sold-out show behind a curtain on an elevated platform. There was album artwork projected onto the curtain, with strobe lights coming from all directions. “We’re all performers in the age of the exhibitionist,” Black’s voice said, accompanied by the words on the curtain. “We need to be seen. To be judged. Understood. Universally carnal. What are you willing to do to become unerasable? Turn it up. Demoralize me.” The last two phrases repeated and amplified as the music for “Miss Delicious” kicked in. Dressed in her signature black bodysuit, red garter belt, and tights, the hype was undeniable — fans on the barricade were eating it up. Sticking to the “delicious” theme, she wore a white apron around her waist and flaunted a silver platter. The curtain peeled back to reveal Black and her two dancers, Kacie Collins and Makayla Bullock, right at the beginning of “Anaheim Star.”
“Anaheim Star” is ridiculously catchy, with the chantable refrain, “I wanna go where the girls go. Go, go, go, go.” The hook, “Take me to the city, where the concrete’s wet and the lights are pretty,” is a cheeky homage to Guns N’ Roses’ “Paradise City,” which also references the alluring Los Angeles area. During “Speakerphone,” Black busted out a jump rope and hit every jump and every note. The beat breakdown in the refrain is clubbing ecstasy. While the chorus is a bit cheesy, it’s impossible to deny how much fun the song is — a not-so-guilty pleasure, indeed.
Watch the official music video for “Anaheim Star” by Rebecca Black on YouTube:
For her second act, Black returned to the stage in all white to perform “Corsetry” and “Waschesalon.” While “Corsetry” explores themes of feeling emotionally suppressed, “Waschesalon” rips off the corset and explores sexual freedom and being one’s true self. “Waschesalon” reminds me of the music of Peaches — the “nasty, dirty, sexy, grotesque” lyrics with an electroclash beat. A potential remix with Rebecca Black and Peaches? Manifesting it now.
“TRUST!” featured Black and her dancers doing some of the same choreography from the music video. Black whipped a red rope around her head like a lasso while Makayla Bullock knelt before her. The rope became a prop in “Twist the Knife,” with Black in the middle and a dancer on each end playing seductive tug-of-war. Black told the audience that she has “an affinity for shiny, dangerous things. This song is called ‘Pistol.'” The song is a break from the hyperpop, slowing down the tempo and giving Black time to highlight her sultry vocals. Black stood in the middle of her platform with a gorgeous spotlight as the curtain parted. She moved the curtain to the right so she performed alongside silhouetted projections of herself. The track transitioned into “Backstage Baby Interlude” to end the second act.
Act three began with Bullock and Collins dancing onstage with cone-shaped props in their hands. Black came back out in her black bodysuit and red tights and positioned herself between them. The cones were used in the “Metamorphia” choreography, which created a fun, trippy effect in the strobe light. The beginning of “Metamorphia” is similar to Caroline Polachek’s “Welcome to My Island,” but specifically the remix with Charli XCX. Black adopts this faux-British accent for the “welcome to metamorphia” opening verse, which indisputably emulates Charli. I see this as a friendly homage to Charli XCX as a 2020s hyperpop pioneer and Caroline Polachek’s lyricism. “Metamorphia” also blends elements of Lady Gaga’s Artpop and Born This Way eras. The Gaga influence is rightfully there, given that she was one of Black’s first outward supporters in 2011: “I say Rebecca Black is a genius and anyone that’s telling her she’s cheesy is full of shit.”
Next came the iconic “Sugar Water Cyanide,” which had the entire crowd dancing and singing. Black and her dancers returned to the platform for an insane dance break accompanied by rainbow strobes. Black told the crowd to jump and keep jumping — even in the back. “Thank you, DC. Do we have any gay people in attendance tonight?” She dragged her mic stand to the center of the platform to begin “Salvation.” The song starts with an ’80s-inspired workout beat and contains lyrics of self-empowerment: “I’ll stay hot and you stay judgy. You think I’m on fire but the fire feels like paradise.” She proclaims, “I don’t need you to save me. I already saved myself,” which sums up Black’s experience in music. From early works that spawned haters when she was a teenager to becoming a gay icon, Black has found her salvation.
Watch Rebecca Black perform “Sugar Water Cyanide” live for Like a Version on YouTube:
Black took a moment to soak in the love from the crowd, with many people putting up their hands in a heart shape. “I appreciate it so much,” she said. Black smiled giddily and expressed how good it felt to be at the 9:30 Club: “They talk about it like it’s one of the best venues in the States.” She paused, fluffed her hair, and said, “This isn’t my first time to DC. This isn’t my first time at the 9:30 Club either. You know, I did my first-ever headline show and my own headline tour here in DC — it was at Union Stage. I was lucky enough to be here at 9:30 Club about a year and a half ago, and I sold it out the first time, which I never thought I’d be able to do again, so thank you so much.” Black remarked that “DC has become such an unexpectedly important part in my story.” She laughed and saluted. “I’ve had so many special moments. I feel so grateful for every single one of you that’s here.” It’s no wonder Black loves DC; it was where she went viral for DJing in 2024. She thanked the crowd for being on the journey with her, no matter how long. “Whether it was Union Stage, here last time, Boiler Room — goddamn! I feel so lucky to be back in this city.” She reveled in the audience’s acceptance of Age of the Exhibitionist: “I hope that this room that we’ve created here together feels more safe and wonderful and beautiful to be a part of.”
“Visions Again” reflects on a past relationship or situation: “Why’s it always better in my head? What if I was satisfied instead? I’m getting visions again.” Black repeatedly stated “question your point of view” and told the crowd to get their hands up. “This is your last chance, DC,” she said before going into a full-on dance break on her platform. “Hot Wet Delirious” — my personal favorite from Age of the Exhibitionist — totally emulates Lady Gaga’s The Fame era, and it’s delectable. The track mixes a Bollywood beat in a stellar production that’s a highlight of the album. The live performance was just as sexy and entrancing as the recording.
For her final performance, Rebecca Black walked out onstage “looking for a guy named Michael out there” in a red fluffy coat and white sailor hat. The song “Michael.” came from in-studio tangents discussing Lady Gaga lore and the topic of her partner, Michael Polansky. All things lead back to Lady Gaga. On The Zach Sang Show, Black clarified that the track was not specifically about Gaga’s man: “He became the moment for what the song could become. And it just felt like this really fun, lighthearted, very intuitive gay experience of seeing a girl that you’re like, ‘God, I’d probably never have a chance with her or maybe she’d never look at me, but I could actually do what he could do so much better.'” Onstage, she nonchalantly sat cross-legged on this white IKEA-looking chair. She got up and tossed the coat, showing off her singing while simultaneously hanging off the chair. “Can I have this last dance?” she asked as she twirled around the chair.
Rebecca Black has found her calling in the world of hyperpop and clubbing. Age of the Exhibitionist is no sophomore slump, but rather, sophomore salvation.
Here are some photos of Rebecca Black performing live at 9:30 Club on Oct. 15, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Carolin Harvey. Keep scrolling for photos of opener Bayli.
Here are some photos of Bayli performing live at 9:30 Club on Oct. 15, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Carolin Harvey.
