At the storied L.A. venue The Mint, the atmosphere doesn’t just frame the music. There are rooms in L.A. that feel like venues to hear music—it quietly pulls you into it. On this particular night, for yet another heartfelt and triumphant full band show by singer/songwriter Anna Duboc, the club felt like a living collage of old-school charm and modern indie energy. The bar glowed in warm amber beneath a ceiling dotted with vinyl records, while candlelit tables flickered in soft shadow, creating an atmosphere that was both intimate and quietly electric.
Taking the stage, Duboc immediately became the visual and expressive center of the room. Dressed in a soft, off-the-shoulder white sundress accented with delicate ruffled trim and a pale blue ribbon at the bodice, she seemed to carry a kind of understated luminosity. Under shifting red and blue stage lights, the fabric caught and reflected color in subtle ways—warm one moment, cool the next—mirroring the emotional fluidity of the music she was about to deliver.
At 19, the multi-faceted L.A. native is already an established independent artist with a remarkably defined sense of identity, and this performance—featuring a mix of previously released singles, unreleased material and her powerful new single “Lily”—felt less like a showcase and more like a statement of artistic arrival. Backed by a tight, intuitively responsive band—Enzo Iannello and Wil Lodge on guitar, Trevor Zemaitis on drums, Jacob Egan on keys, Chloe Haack on bass, and a trio of dynamic backing vocalists (Gracie Percival, Brooke Murgitroyd and Kevin Johansson)—Duboc moved seamlessly between styles, anchored always by the strength and versatility of her voice.
Opening with “Cherry Pick,” she set the tone with a funky, clapping groove that allowed her to lean into a sultry, rhythmic vocal delivery. The performance was both playful and precise, her precise phrasing locking in effortlessly with the groove as the audience began to settle into her world. That sense of command deepened with “Sinking Feeling,” a 2022 release she introduced as a personal favorite. Beginning as a gentle, guitar-driven ballad, the song gradually expanded into a fuller, more dynamic arrangement, showcasing her ability to move from ethereal restraint into charged intensity without losing control or clarity.
One of the evening’s more unexpected turns came with Duboc reimagining of Katy Perry’s “The One That Got Away,” included, as she noted, to bring a sense of fun to the set. But rather than presenting the song a simple cover, Duboc transformed it into something more textured and groove-driven, layering her soulful tone over a hypnotic keyboard motif and driving rhythm that gave the familiar song a fresh, almost cinematic feel.
Throughout the set, Duboc complemented these lighter, more accessible moments with deeper, more introspective material. The unreleased “Letter,” performed from behind the keyboard, offered a striking contrast—beginning in hushed intimacy before gradually building into a more impassioned, slow-burning ballad that highlighted both her melodic instincts as a pianist and her ability to shape narrative feeling through vocal dynamics. Similarly, “Indigo” unfolded as a cathartic mid-tempo piece, its gentle opening giving way to a powerful, full-band crescendo that left the audience fully absorbed.
Yet as engaging and impactful as these performances were, the heart of the evening was unmistakably “Lily.” Performed alone at the keys, with the rest of the band stepping away, Duboc created a moment of stillness that felt almost sacred within the room. The song—released in conjunction with Sexual Assault Awareness Month—unfolds as a deeply personal and symbolic exploration of innocence, trust and healing, using the image of a lily as its central metaphor. What began as a delicate, almost whispered reflection gradually expanded into something more resolute, her voice moving between fragile vulnerability and quiet strength—sometimes within the same phrase.
She delivered the piece with remarkable restraint. Rather than overemphasizing its visceral weight, Duboc allowed the emotion to emerge organically, supported by her fluid piano lines and a vocal performance that prioritized honesty over theatrics. The result was deeply affecting—not so much demanding attention as earning it. In a set filled with standout moments, “Lily” felt like a turning point, not just within the performance, but within her evolving artistry.
If “Lily” represented the core of Duboc’s personal artistry, her showstopping rendition of Queen’s “Somebody to Love” provided its most electrifying surprise. Beginning a cappella with a striking confidence that did the spirit of Freddie Mercury proud, Duboc navigated the song’s demanding vocal terrain with both technical precision and dynamic interpretive flair. As she moved to the piano and launched into the familiar refrain—“Can anybody find me somebody to love?”—the room responded in kind, the energy lifting palpably as the arrangement expanded.
What followed was less a cover than a full-bodied reimagining, complete with dynamic backing vocal interplay and a gradual build into full-band intensity. By the time the singer rose from the keyboard and took center stage, she had fully embraced the song’s theatrical spirit, channeling a rock-driven energy that contrasted beautifully with the introspective tone of earlier moments.
The closing stretch of the set continued to highlight her impressive range. “Suffocating” returned to a gentler, piano-led arrangement, its understated groove allowing her to explore quieter textures, while the unreleased “Willing to Give” showcased her ability to navigate shifting dynamics within a single composition. The set concluded with “Mystery Lady,” a sultry, groove-driven track that brought a playful edge back into the room, its infectious bassline and confident vocal delivery serving as a fitting finale.
What ultimately makes Anna Duboc’s live performance so compelling is not just her technical ability—though that is undeniable—but her instinctive sense of balance. She understands when to hold back and when to expand, when to invite the audience in quietly and when to command the room outright. At an age when many artists are still searching for their voice, she is already demonstrating a rare clarity of purpose. And in a space like The Mint, where every nuance is felt just a little more closely, such a presence becomes impossible to ignore.
