Welcome to the cinematic dreamscape of Ambar Lucid
At Holocene on September 17th, everyone stayed put between sets in anticipation of the main act of the evening. Ambar Lucid stepped on to a stage adorned with delicate pink flowers, into a dreamlike rococo aesthetic. The last time she was here, she was only 18 years old. She loves Portland, she told the crowd– she even got her first tattoo here. Four years later, the 22 year old created a cinematic dreamscape with her sultry buttery melodies and orchestral arrangements. Accompanied by keyboardist Melody Ector, Lucid’s diva aura radiated throughout the venue, completely captivating audiences with her bilingual elegance and enveloping falsetto. She began to play her song “6 AM,” and the timbre of her voice was like the first notes of song birds song upon waking, before shifting into an evocative belting indicative of familiar heart ache.
In 2021, Ambar made her television debut on Netflix’s Elite, performing her song “Fantasmas,”off of her 2020 album “Garden of Lucid.” In the two years since then, she has been amassing fans across the globe. Lucid kicked off her US tour in September, celebrating by releasing a new single “Donde Se Fue el Sol,” (where did the sun go?”) a perfect anthem for the rainy months ahead in Portland. A danceable bop with a bouncy melodic structure and memorable lyrics, the song begins as a techno lullaby before the irresistible beat comes in. Lucid’s sweet vocals dance alongside the rhythmic pulsing of the instrumental arrangement, creating a swirling feeling of familiarity as she sings “Stuck in a world of pretend/ I just wanna find a real true friend” As the song continues, the palpable emoting of Ambar’s voice gains in intensity as the instrumentation shifts to acoustic before the song ends in a climax of feeling.
Ambar has a way with words, and it’s clear that she possesses a wisdom that makes its way into her music with a poignant clarity, giving her the potential to convey that wisdom through song. Mid-set, she addressed the crowd, saying: “We always have the power of choice. You are allowed to be happy.” In that moment, a palpable feeling of the fulfillment of her potential swept over the room. There is a raw vulnerability to her lyrics that make one feel as though they’re the main character in the cinema of their dreams, and the film has just begun.
“Donde Se Fue el Sol” is streaming everywhere.
