Freya Skye Embodies Girlhood and the Emotions of Young Love, Playing a Sold Out Crowd in Washington DC on the 'Stars Align Tour'
- Maggz Ardillo
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
Amidst the gloom of a foggy winter Friday night, the last thing a parent wants to do is pull their kids into the car or onto the DC Metro for a night filled with loud screams and sparkly outfits. However, the parents of the DMV did just that on the evening of February 20, thousands of young fans flooding the historic, waterside Wharf District. Excited legs carried crowds to a long and winding line along the boardwalk with star stickers on cheeks, tinsel in hair, and large homemade signs held by reluctant fathers. The marquee read “SOLD OUT”, which meant Freya Skye was playing to a 6000 person sold out crowd at The Anthem.
Once inside the venue, fans had a nervous energy among them as they rushed to find the perfect spot to watch their idol on stage. The two merch booths were working overtime, long lines winding around the standing floor area. Many fans at the barricade had arrived early for a VIP sound check and meet and greet experience with 16 year old Freya Skye.
Skye is known for her rise to fame with an appearance on Eurovision, a role in Disney’s Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires as Nova, and subsequent 'Descendants/Zombies: Worlds Collide Tour.' No stranger to the stage, she was part of the 2025 iHeart Radio Jingle Ball Tour and played her first solo set of shows, 'Freya Skye: The Acoustic Shows' in LA, New York, and London. If you haven’t heard her name before, just ask your younger cousin or parent of a pre-teen girl and surely, they will be able to sing some of her hit song “Silent Treatment.”
Before opener Adrian Lyles hit the stage, fans sang along to Top 100 hits like “Pink Pony Club” and “Ordinary” at the tops of their lungs, filling the room with a raucous energy. Every time a crew member walked on stage to adjust an instrument or piece of equipment, fans screamed in delight. Soon, Lyles bounded onto the stage, the 21 year old easily matching the fans’ energy.
Accompanied by his guitarist, who he called out to with a loud “DECLAN” during one of his songs, Lyles moved around the stage easily to upbeat tracks, dressed casually in a cat t-shirt and trendy denim. He started his set with a furry hat atop his head but soon tossed it aside, feeling the heat of the bright stage lighting.
Fans in the crowd surely recognized Lyles as Jet from seasons 3 and 4 of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series where he not only got to debut his acting chops on a massive platform but also his strong singing ability. His original song “Right Place” was a hit on the show’s soundtrack.
Lyles performed a cover of Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” to a happy crowd, along with original songs like “Somewhere to Go” and “Peace of Mind.” He checked in with the audience in between songs, helping to bring attention to some fans in the front of the pit who needed water.
“I came out with a new song last night and everyone needs to promise that next time I come to DC, you all have to show up!” Lyles introduced his new single “All That I Wanted Was You,” a song that sounds straight out of a rom com series soundtrack with a driving bass drum beat and a stripped back, aesthetic acoustic bridge towards the end of the song.
Lyles shouted a quick “Love ya” before he left the stage to screams and applause. In between sets, the energy level rose again, “Pink Pony Club” playing for a second time with the sing-a-long levels somehow being even higher.
The lights dimmed again and before the fans could process what was going on, Skye appeared on a short set of stairs on the stage, delivering her opening song “Can’t Fake It” with bright and sunny live vocals and a rhinestone encrusted hand mic. Donning a sparkling royal blue dress and black platform boots, Skye was soon bounding across the stage, smiling ear to ear and face emoting through every line of her songs. “petty” and “Walk Over” received deafening screams from the crowd, the energy in the room palpable. The multi-talented artist accompanied herself on a white electric guitar, decorated with her on-brand, blue, sparkly stars.
“This is our biggest crowd! I can’t believe you all came out to see me,” Skye greeted the audience again after her opening set. She checked in with the comfort of the crowd, even asking everyone to take a big step backwards to help alleviate some of the density towards the barricade.
Her song “Bad Taste” was met with the loudest cheers yet, fans singing along to every word, voices lifting up the lyrics “I got bad taste” as an echoing anthem. Each level of the venue was filled with community and girlhood, metaphorically hanging on every word sung by Skye while physically hanging off their best friend’s shoulders beside them.
“I honestly feel like I’m living in a dream right now! Can you turn the house lights up so I can see what’s going on,” Skye admitted with tender honesty. She took time reading many of the signs out loud, acknowledging the hours her fans spent in between busy sports and homework schedules, to prepare for the concert. “Freya, your music is our reality,” was one of her favorite signs she read out loud, the fans who brought it practically melting into the floor of the Anthem at the interaction.
“I see so many beautiful outfits! I feel like I should have dressed up more,” Skye joked, twirling her sparkly blue dress as she smiled and waved at the crowd. During her break of chatting with the audience, she took a sip from a sparkly water tumbler before stowing it back near the drum kit. Everything Skye does sparkles, but in a way that feels genuine and matches her bright smile that never leaves her face.
Skipping off the stage for a few moments, Skye returned with an off the shoulder zip up over her sparkly blue dress, matching the cozy vibe of the campfire scene she built as she called over each of her band members (minus her drummer) to join her at the stairs. Soon everyone in the venue was singing along to “Who I Thought I Knew” and “maybe tomorrow,” two more acoustic tracks. Skye spent time introducing each song, creating an atmosphere where everyone in the room felt like they were sitting down and having a one on one conversation with her. The large venue felt small at that moment, the crowd was quiet except for when she asked a question, determined to not miss a single moment.
She left the stage for a few moments to change, returning in a white dress with a flowing, iridescent train billowing behind her as a fan was directed at her and fog filled the stage. The look is a nod to the styling of her official video for “Someone to Love,” released in September 2024. This performance was a highlight of the show, Skye delivering the song beautifully with her band rocking out on the musical interlude.
As Skye performs hits like “golden boy,” your brain can’t help but think of the familiar feeling of the young pop eras of Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo, and how lucky fans are to have an EP like Stardust filled with tracks for every moment of friendship and love experienced in middle school.
Returning once more in her blue dress, Skye led another round of loud group singing as she performed “My Own Way,” her track from the Zombies 4 soundtrack, the live performance more high energy and stylized than the studio version.
“I think you guys might know this one,” Skye teased the crowd before the opening guitar strums began for her hit “silent treatment.” Fans joined in singing instantly, perfectly on beat, a mix of singing along and screaming out the emotional lyrics. As soon as the chorus hit, arms flew into the air, thousands of young people bouncing around on beat as Skye ran across the front of the stage, giving each side a chance to see her up close. She took a seat on the edge of the center platform to belt out the bridge before holding her mic in the air to let the crowd scream out the lyrics unaccompanied. Based on the teary eyed faces of the crowd, you would think everyone in that room had gone through multiple tragic breakups.
Skye’s North America tour will continue through the end of February, finishing up in New York, before performing back home in the United Kingdom. Fans who missed a chance to see Skye in a city near them will have the chance to see her in late September with 36 new tour dates added as recently as last week and pre-sale beginning on February 26.
Needless to say, Skye’s legacy is being cemented with this tour and her young fans have a lot to look forward to as she begins her career. As with many Disney stars of the past, so much of life lies ahead for her, with endless opportunities to grow and shape her own style and direction for her music. I can only imagine how many in attendance were experiencing their first major concert and what a night for them to remember for years to come. The stars have certainly aligned for this young artist and with uplifting music like this, the kids might just be alright.
Freya Skye
