Lacy Capris, A Lost Phone & Secret Handshakes: Backstage With Nilüfer Yanya

We’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: We’re in the golden age of opening acts. (Remember when Sabrina Carpenter was an opener? She’s now selling out Madison Square Garden five nights in a row.) Alex G and Lorde have one in thing in common this fall: Nilüfer Yanya will open for them. Lorde will have Yanya join her in Europe, but before then, Yanya is breaking the ice for Alex G’s crowds across North America. You’ve probably heard Yanya’s unmistakable dark tenor voice floating over her earthy, guitar-forward songs such as “Like I Say (I runaway)” or “midnight sun,” and through her decade or so of making music her way, she’s gained a miniature cult following. The United States is a bit of an untapped market for her, but the crowd at Radio City Music Hall was more than game to jam out with her. (Spoiler alert: she shreds twice as hard IRL.)

So, how do you prepare for what was probably the biggest venue of your year thus far? For Yanya, it wasn’t all smooth sailing — she lost her phone right before sound-check. But, as true rockstars do, she pulled a look together. She had a digital fitting with her stylist, settling on a leather bolero and lacy capri leggings: part swashbuckler, part Alaïa muse, and 100 percent her. Her signature lip combo and updo were the only accessories necessary to hit the stage and warm up the historic room. Below, Yanya took us through her day, from doing her own garment-bag collecting (it’s not all that glamorous being a showgirl, after all) to her preshow secret handshake and celebratory toast after crushing her opening set.