Imani Imani Brings Papercut To Life At 180 Studios

Imani Imani made her first live performance at 180 Studios, introducing Papercut to an intimate crowd in a setting that allowed the project to be experienced up close. The Soho House space created an atmosphere that felt deliberately removed from the scale of a conventional live show, with the audience gathered closely around Imani as she prepared to perform the project for the first time. There was a sense of anticipation in the room before she began, heightened by the knowledge that these songs were being heard live in this form for the first time.

Before stepping fully into the performance, Imani spoke openly about her nerves, acknowledging the weight of presenting Papercut to an audience. That tension quickly gave way once the music began. As the crowd started swaying with the songs, Imani visibly settled into the room, becoming more comfortable with every track. The connection came through the lyrics, with the audience following the emotional shifts in the music and responding to the more personal moments throughout the set.

The live arrangement gave the performance an organic quality, with Imani supported by instrumentalists playing guitar, piano and bass. The musicians created a warm foundation around her vocals, allowing the melodies and lyrics to remain the focus. Imani moved between the different textures of Papercut, using her voice to bring out the intimacy within the project while the band gave each song room to breathe.

“1 of 1” was one of the early standout moments, establishing the tone of the performance and immediately drawing the audience further into Imani’s world. “You’re Mine” followed with a more intimate energy, allowing her vocals to take centre stage as the room listened closely. The response after each song became part of the performance itself, with applause filling the space before Imani and the musicians moved into the next track.

As the set continued, “On Demand” brought another shift in energy, with the crowd becoming increasingly engaged with the rhythm and movement of the song. “Slideee” also stood out, giving the performance one of its more fluid moments as the audience continued to sway along. The intimacy of 180 Studios meant that reactions felt immediate, with every vocal run, instrumental change and pause met by a room that was clearly invested in what was unfolding.

There was something particularly fitting about hearing Papercuts in the Soho House space. The room offered none of the distance that can come with a larger venue, allowing the performance to feel more like a shared experience between Imani, her musicians and the audience. The setting complemented the project's emotional quality, creating space for the subtleties in her songwriting to come through without being lost beneath the scale of a larger production.

By the final moments, the nerves Imani had spoken about at the beginning had been replaced by a clear sense of ease. Papercuts had moved from a recorded project into a live experience, with Imani finding her rhythm alongside the musicians and an audience that had followed her there. The applause after each song built into a sustained response at the close, marking a successful first performance and an introduction to what Papercuts can become when its songs are shared in the room they were made to reach.