The vastly talented Colombian singer, songwriter and producer Ela Minus sold out Chicago’s iconic Schubas Tavern last week as one of her only stops on her U.S. tour. Supporting her sophomore album, DÍA that came out earlier this year; Ela Minus proved herself to be a name to keep an eye (and ears) on. It’s a clear indicator when an artist sells out a tiny venue such as Schubas that the music speaks for itself. Not only did she have a packed house, fans also cleared out her merch table too! After an obsessive replay of her latest album release, I can wholeheartedly confirm that this may be up there with one of the best and most underrated releases of 2025!
Ela Minus was greeted by the ecstatic Chicago crowd with open arms as she made her way on stage for her seemingly quick yet impressively passionate set. She opened with a long white noise intro that hummed throughout the tiny room that eventually was drowned out into a buzz until it glitched and faded as she sneaked up onto the stage. She wore a long black dress with white lace that flowed beautifully as she made herself comfortable on stage by kicking off her shoes and dancing all around Schubas' spotlight. Ela Minus performed a perfectly balanced set that consisted of songs from her latest record as well as her debut record from 2020, acts of rebellion.
After a few songs to warm up the crowd, she sectioned off 3 (maybe the best on the record) songs from acts of rebellion which included “megapunk,” “el cielo no es de nadie”, and my favorite off this album, “they told us it was hard, but they were wrong.” This song was the peak of the show as it made the crowd groove along to her heavy hitting beats. I was not surprised to hear that the show had sold out! She concluded the last portion of the show with a back to back run of songs from DÍA and I was overly excited to have witnessed her performance of “QQQQ” and “UPWARDS.”
Ela Minus put on probably one of the best electronic/pop sets that I’ve witnessed in a while. You know a performance was amazing when it’s over and you’re left wondering where the entire night went. She is quite the impressive performer and a clear expert with staying engaged with the crowd all while flawlessly working on her colorful sound deck. At the end of her set, the crowd gave her an extended ovation after such a wonderful performance, it seemed that the cheering was never going to end. She expressed her gratitude with a genuine and emotional grin as one of her only sold out U.S. tour stops came to a close.
All photos by Andrew Lagunas.