Frat Boys, Burns, Bangers, and More: INJI Brings the Party to Boston

Classically trained, Turkish-born, Wharton-educated hyperpop princess INJI, born Inci Gürün, lit up the crowd at Brighton Music Hall on Sept. 21 as part of her “Tour You Can Scream Along To.” From mid-show gossip to outfit changes and nonstop dancing, INJI kept the energy up, bouncing from one side of the stage to the other.

Accompanied by Joey Hess on drums and Mistine on bass and guitar, INJI opened the show with her song “THE ONE,” running out from the green room and onto the stage surrounded by screaming fans. Her stage presence was immediate and infectious, hyping up the already excited crowd even more.

While some artists may act like they are too good to interact with their fans while they are on stage, INJI does the opposite, bringing the crowd in as part of her show by sharing stories about terrible exes and taking shots with concertgoers. INJI feeds off the crowd and the crowd feeds right back off of her.

When asked about what she was most excited for this tour, she replied, “I doubt myself all the time and tour is one of the only things that stops those doubts because I see actual humans excited to be here.”

When she originally blew up on TikTok her senior year of college, she described feeling isolated and not wanting to leave her room.

By Courtesy of Anna Moiseieva

She has since blossomed and become more comfortable in the spotlight, saying, “Tour is everything for me, it’s like why I do this, it’s what keeps me going.”

Throughout the night she mixed her club songs, like “GASLIGHT,” with some songs from her new EP, “WE GOOD,” that have more of a jazz tone to them, drawing from her musical origins at the Istanbul University State Conservatory, where she grew up learning music theory.

Commenting on how her classical training impacted her writing process, she said, “I know it sounds very separate, like classical and the type of music I’m doing now, but it’s when you’re studying classical piano at an institution like that they really teach you like how to play music to move people.”

Before singing “HATE YOUR GUTS,” she stopped the show to share a little bit about the man who inspired the lyrics.

INJI recounted, “The worst thing about [him], was that, first of all he went to Harvard, we were in the same fucking friend group, so every time I saw him I had to be like mwah mwah, how you doing? How’s that new freshman you’ve been fucking? It’s horrible, It’s the worst thing in the world and this is why I wrote this song.”

She also debuted some unreleased songs, including one featuring NOTD. Everything from her outfit choices to the choice of venue felt authentic to who she is as a person and an artist. INJI made it apparent that she was there to have fun, showcasing her genuine love for performing and putting on a show that can only be described as a combination of FISHER and Tate McRae.

To close out the show, she reappeared in a blue hip scarf adorned with gold coins and finished with “BELLYDANCING,” a song that she sings partially in Turkish.

INJI makes a concert venue — and her performance — feel like sitting in a living room, gossiping and singing with close friends. “Tour You Can Scream Along To” is definitely one that should not be missed.

—Staff writer Gillian H. Selig can be reached at gillian.selig@thecrimson.com.