Cafe Nine | Music | Arts & Culture | Ninth Square
"This is a very emotional song, so it might get a little loud in here,” BODHI said to a cheer from the audience before diving into their 2022 song "Pretty Lies.” Their voice floated over the swirling, groovy melodies of the keyboards, creating an infectious sound that absorbed the audience. All throughout Cafe Nine, people danced and nodded their heads to the rhythm, drawn in by the sound.
Last Friday, Connecticut-based R&B artist BODHI made a celebratory debut at the Ninth Square venue, performing in front of a full house of friends, family, and new fans. Following an electrifying opening set by Atlanta-based rock band KHALIKO, they took the stage with artists Peter Hines and Myles LaBarre on keys and Noah Carroll on drums, hypnotizing the audience as they sang their way into the weekend.
Bodhi Kitt, a.k.a. BODHI, is a 22 year old alternative R&B artist from Norwalk. Their music is a distinct blend of genres and styles highlighted by emotionally driven lyrics and hypnotic, ethereal melodies. With elements of R&B, soul, and hip-hop, BODHI’s music can be hard to categorize, but is captivating in its uniqueness.
As they flowed into their set, BODHI performed a mix of their original songs as well as classics by Amy Winehouse, Grover Washington Jr., and others. BODHI swayed to the rhythm of the keyboard as they sang. They danced between verses as the two keyboard players came together to create a smooth melody. Peter Hines rocked back and forth in his seat as he played two keyboards at the same time, his face showing the joy that comes with each note.
In the intimate venue, BODHI interacted with the audience between songs, smiling and laughing as someone close to the stage referred to them as a “baby Bruno Mars.” They also shouted out their mother, who was in attendance.
BODHI responded graciously to the crowd's requests for two encores, performing an unreleased song “Mother Told Me” as well as Michael Jackson’s classic “Rock with You.” The crowd took to their feet for the final song, dancing and singing along to Jackson's words.
For BODHI, this was not only their final show of the summer, but a celebration of the rapid success and promise of their budding career. Last year, the artist released their first song, entitled “Tender Thunder,” on July 28, 2022. In the year since, they said, their music has taken off faster than expected.
Although BODHI has only been releasing music for the past year, music has long been a big part of their life. BODHI first began to love music as a child growing up listening and singing along to the classic R&B and soul songs that their parents loved, including some that they sang at Cafe Nine. They found their own singing voice through choir all throughout school. At age 11, the artist taught themselves how to play guitar and keyboard, later playing keyboard and singing in high school as part of the blues band.
It was during these years that BODHI turned to music as a source of comfort. As a Black queer person attending a mostly white, Christian private school, they often felt like an outsider. Struggling to find people they could truly relate to, BODHI captured their deepest emotions by writing songs.
“I had been writing here and there for a while before I decided to get in the studio and make a full song,” they said Friday. Since then, BODHI has channeled all of these emotions into eight singles released in the past year, and people have begun to take notice.
Since releasing their first song last year, the artist and their music has taken off. Their Spotify already boasts over 10,000 monthly listeners and over 250,000 total streams. Their single “Homecoming Slumber (In Crete),” released earlier this year, has already surpassed 100,000 streams. This seemingly overnight success has surprised even BODHI.
“I’ve achieved a lot more than I thought I would in a year's time,” they said after the show. “I am blessed to have had a lot of opportunities that have come my way and am excited for what's to come.”
In keeping with that focus on what lies ahead, the artist has released four songs this year, and plans to release a new single every 30 days for the remainder of 2023. That body of work will build up to their first full-length project, set to drop later this year. This first year has been full of promise for BODHI, and listeners everywhere are excited to see what the future holds.