Aidan Bissett lives the dream on his Ultraviolet tour

TORONTO, October 29th 2023

I will allow myself to say that 21-year-old Aidan Bissett is everything we needed and more. Although his dreamy looks might be deceiving – after all it’s not rare to find people in the industry that make it big because of their looks – the Portland native has managed to find his own style musically, lyrically and as a live performer, giving us a new genuine and young artist to root for.

With the release of his newest EP Supernova, the singer found himself on a perfect high to embark on a North American and European tour, selling out iconic venues around the world and finally being able to show his talents in full. Becoming one of my favorite TikTok’s success stories, Aidan has built a loyal and passionate fanbase, which easily translated into a welcoming and supportive audience as he performed at festivals and opening slots. But now finally his own time to shine came, and he did not disappoint.

Starting out the night with “All That I’m Craving” from his 2022 project I’m Alright If You’re Okay, Aidan Bissett had Toronto’s Velvet Underground losing their minds. I was pretty sure I would be one of the oldest people in the crowd, but I stood corrected, as the audience ranged from teenagers to older boys and girls in their later twenties. Another pleasant surprise was the amount of male fans that showed up, and I’m not referring to boyfriends that were dragged along to the concert – these were his fans. They were singing along to the songs, enjoying the night and some of them even staying to say hi to him after the show.

Since the venue was relatively small, the night felt intimate and special, as Aidan and his touring band played through older songs like “Twenty Something,” “More Than Friends,” and “Communication,” as well as newer hits such as “People Pleaser,” “Bloom,” and “Sick”. During “A Song For Her,” a slower but intense track, he stood in the middle of the pit among the fans and invited them to sing the chorus (which is mainly a big scream) with him. It was nice to see him feel so comfortable around everybody and interacting with as many people as possible both throughout the set and afterwards.

Over halfway through the set, Aidan allowed himself to be emotional as he thanked his supporters for allowing him to live out his dreams. “All the hard work was for this,” he said as he motioned towards the crowd who responded with a loud cheer. He even shed some tears, making some of the fans tear up with him as well (maybe me included but maybe not, we will never know). It really was a night to remember for everyone there, and I’m sure the Toronto crowd can’t wait for him to be back.

After the last song of the night, and his biggest hit to date, “Tripping Over Air,” Aidan let everybody know that he would be saying hi and signing things at the merch table afterwards, which honestly took me off guard since a lot of artists just want to go home after performing for over an hour every night, or maybe will only say hi to some people once almost everyone else has already left. Aidan wanted to give the fans something back though, even if the venue wasn’t too happy about it.

It has honestly been a blessing to watch Aidan still go through the early stages of his career. You can tell how passionate he is about his music, how willing he is to grow and learn, and how much he appreciates every single person that supports him. I hope he remains as gentle and as approachable as I’ve seen him be in the last couple of years, and that people are able to recognize the star potential that they have in front of them.
Supernova is out now.