Vocalo X SXSW: Ausar

Written by Vocalo Radio on May 13, 2022

Vocalo hosted Chicago’s own Ausar at SXSW’s Radio Day Stage in March, where he performed his brand new single “Love Is” solo (accompanying himself on the piano) — plus other fan-favorite tracks.

Vocalo hosted Chicago rapper Ausar at SXSW’s Radio Day Stage the afternoon of March 19, where he showcased new singles, tracks from his 2020 EP Flight of the Honeybee and more.

After getting the crowd moving with a brief mix by DJ LMS — opening with Miley Cyrus’ “Party In The U.S.A.” — Ausar exploded onto the stage to kick off his set with his infectious 2021 single “Homies.” Ausar’s high energy as he raps about finding a way out and moving to California set the tone for the rest of his performance — bouncing around the stage through the afternoon.

A few songs in, Ausar let DJ LMS know he wanted to rap for the audience — throwing on lyrically intricate “Bee Sides Freestyle,” the third track off Flight Of The Honeybee, which jumps into gear over a looping sample of The Crusaders’ “My Love” (Mac Miller fans may recognize this loop from a similar sample on his Faces mixtape). The song’s heavy boom-bap beat shook the room while Ausar’s articulate bars commanded the stage.

Ausar’s latest single, “Love Is,” featuring singer songwriter Bairi, was released March 18 — the day before his Radio Day Stage performance. He treated the audience to a stripped-down performance of the track on piano — which, he admits, he learned just to play it for them. He quickly surprised the audience and jumped into a cover of Summer Walker’s “Session 32,” with lyrics paralleling the single’s theme: “you don’t know what love is.”

If you want to check out Ausar’s SXSW performance for yourself, stream live recordings of “Homies,” “Bee Sides Freestyle,” “Love Is” and “Session 32” on Youtube below.