Live Review: Sydney Rose at Brooklyn Steel

Sydney Rose at Brooklyn Steel September 15 2026 in Brooklyn NY, photo by BellaJoli Gedeon

Sydney Rose is quickly becoming an artist worth keeping an eye on. On September 15, the 22-year-old Nashville-based singer-songwriter opened for Mon Rovîa at Brooklyn Steel, sharing the bill with Sarah Julia. From the moment she stepped on stage at 8:25PM, Sydney Rose’s voice carried a soft, delicate register, one that could bring out tears from any unassuming crowd. She strummed a personalized guitar dotted with stars, her mic stand wrapped in a matching garland, small details that gave her set more character.

Sydney Rose chatted with the audience as if they were old friends. Early on, a fan yelled out asking her favorite movie, and without missing a beat she responded back that it’s probably Little Women. She opened with two unreleased songs, then introduced herself again. She laughed that if the crowd couldn’t tell from those first two songs, she has mixed feelings about New York, she wouldn’t mind living there, though she thought in her case that it might be cursed. She had briefly described someone whose words had carried false promises, a moment of her past she continues to meet with grace and even jokes, choosing to move on by channeling it through her art.

Rose continued her set with “Briston,” another song that references the city, weaving the landscapes into her writing like she already hinted at earlier on. Her honesty defines her songwriting, sad but peaceful, delivered with warm chords that occasionally echoed the hush of Phoebe Bridgers and Leith Ross. Sydney Rose played “We Hug Now,” a song many in the crowd already knew from popularity, though hearing it live felt more intimate than the recorded version that circled around online.

The artist also used her set to bring the room together, asking fans to turn to a stranger and share their favorite TV show, hers being The Pitt, a small icebreaker that eased the tension between songs. She shared a special moment with the crowd too, noting that her father and grandfather were both in the audience to see her play.

Then, she finished her set with her most recent release, “Track Team,” a song about the inevitability of people coming and going in our lives. Before she wrapped the performance, she thanked Mon Rovîa and Sarah Julia for allowing her to share the stage at Brooklyn Steel. With an upcoming single, “My First Time,” set to release on September 25, Sydney Rose will continue to build a following that only grows with time.

Words and photos by BellaJoli Gedeon