Rising star Sydnie Christmas delivered another unforgettable live moment with her performance of Michael Bolton’s classic “Time, Love & Tenderness” at The Lowry Theatre, leaving the audience captivated from start to finish.
The performance opened with Christmas alone on stage, bathed in a soft spotlight. Her voice, stripped of accompaniment, carried both vulnerability and strength as she delivered the opening lines with clarity and emotional weight. This intimate introduction immediately set the tone, drawing the audience into the story of the song before the arrangement began to build.
As the music swelled, the Create Theatre Academy choir joined in, filling the space with rich harmonies that gave the performance an almost cinematic scale.
Their layered vocals added depth and power, especially as the song reached its soaring chorus. The combination of Christmas’s powerhouse lead and the choir’s unified backing created a dynamic contrast that elevated the performance beyond a simple cover.
One of the standout moments came during a close-up shot, where Christmas could be seen pouring raw emotion into every lyric. Her expressive delivery, marked by subtle changes in phrasing and timing, revealed not only her technical skill but also her deep connection to the material. The way she allowed her voice to swell and soften with the rise and fall of the melody kept the audience fully engaged.
Beyond the vocals, her stage presence was commanding yet approachable. Christmas didn’t just stand and sing—she embodied the music, using gestures, movements, and facial expressions that perfectly matched the intensity of the song. Every step across the stage felt intentional, amplifying the message behind the lyrics and ensuring that the performance was as visually compelling as it was vocally powerful.
The closing section was a masterclass in live performance. As the choir re-entered for the final chorus, the entire stage seemed to come alive. Together, Christmas and the choir delivered the song’s final notes with unwavering conviction, creating a wall of sound that resonated throughout the theatre. The audience was left in stunned silence before erupting into thunderous applause.
What made the performance remarkable was not a reinvention of the song’s lyrics—they remained untouched—but the way Christmas reshaped the delivery. She introduced subtle vocal runs, varied dynamics, and unique phrasing choices that turned the familiar into something fresh. It was less about imitation and more about interpretation, and in doing so, she managed to honor Michael Bolton’s original while stamping it with her own identity as an artist.
Sydnie Christmas didn’t just perform “Time, Love & Tenderness”—she transformed it into an emotional journey. With the support of the Create Theatre Academy choir, she delivered a performance that balanced intimacy and grandeur, technical skill and heartfelt emotion. It was a reminder of her extraordinary ability to make even the most well-known songs feel new, personal, and unforgettable.
