Cara Delevingne has made her move into music with two shows at 26 Leake Street in London. The model-to-musician pivot is not new, but Delevingne's approach is notably different from her predecessors.
A Wildcard Career
Since her early days walking runways for Burberry and Chanel, Delevingne has cultivated a wildcard image. She shaved her head and painted it silver at the 2017 Met Gala. In the mid-2010s, she was in a relationship with alt-world hero St. Vincent. When she teased her debut single I Forgot with a pop-metal drop, it became clear she wasn't aiming for a mainstream trajectory.
Debut London Shows
Having played her first festival at Barcelona's Primavera Sound, Delevingne returned to London for two debut shows at Waterloo's 26 Leake Street. The crowd included influencer types, young fans, and celebrities like Lola Young and Little Simz. The blue-lit, smoke-filled venue felt like an off-grid London Fashion Week party.
The music is loud and intense. Delevingne entered in a white vest with straight jacket-style braces, a wind machine whipping her hair, and a phone torch lighting her face. The opening track dropped into a bass-heavy crescendo. Sober since late 2022, many songs in her 40-minute set explore identity. Out of My Head goes: "Am I actually here? Close my eyes and I disappear." Not Normal intones: "This person I see in the mirror, I don't know her."
Finding Her Voice
Delevingne has worked out a harsh yet pop-spiked palette. Flanked by two musicians with head torches, she has a strong physical presence. But her vocals remain tentative. She has only played four gigs, and it shows. Some songs feel overly demonstrative, like Not Normal veering from Disney sweetness to gruff character voice. Another track features clipped pronunciation like Mary Poppins fronting Crystal Castles.
Better are the pop-leaning tracks that allow playfulness. One song has a silly synth hook reminiscent of the Vengabus. Closing song Crazy, Baby packs a romantic punch like Carly Rae Jepsen. Delevingne notes the setlist has "something for everyone." She is a new artist finding her feet, needing to perform more and find her honest voice. But there is potential here.
