Alexander Stewart knew how to meet the emotional needs of a Washington, D.C. audience. His What If? tour stopped at The Atlantis last Sunday, making it another successful show in the nation’s capital. Fans may recognize him from his Jingle Ball appearances in New York and D.C. last year, but Stewart’s connection to the city runs deeper through his work with Active Minds, where he has spoken on youth mental health. That presence lingered as he shared how, in his lowest moments, he turned to writing songs and letters to loved ones while navigating anxiety, body image, and depression.
Though known for heartbreak ballads, Alexander was constantly on his feet, moving across the stage and engaging the crowd. He started the show by singing “Her Again” from his latest album, What If?. Then stood at the center to perform “Easier Said Than Done,” quickly moving onto a more upbeat song, “He Never Will.”
At the show’s halfway point, he sits down with his phone to choose a song to cover. He jokes that he sometimes chooses the same songs over and over. This time, he made a point of not doing that. His cover of “Impossible” by Shontelle made the audience awestruck by his lower register. The room fell into such a deep, almost fragile silence that even those standing at the very back of the floor stood completely still, their eyes fixed on him, as if afraid that any movement or sound might break the moment.
By the time he began “Friends Don’t,” his collaboration with Lauren Spencer Smith, the energy in the room had shifted completely, the kind of moment where the artist almost steps back and lets the audience take over. Voices from every corner of the venue rose to meet him, turning the song into something bigger than a performance, something shared. It felt less like a concert and more like a collective memory unfolding in real time.
And in a quieter, more reflective turn, he paid homage to where it all began, performing “Echo,” a song he released in 2022. Stripped of the spectacle, the moment carried a sense of intimacy, grounding the set in his early artistry and reminding the crowd of the journey that brought him to this stage. He closed the night with two fan favorites, “I Wish You Would’ve Cheated “and “The Boy I Almost Was”, leaving the crowd singing every word.
Despite releasing “Not Ready Yet” on his most recent album, Stewart presents himself as an artist already stepping into the next phase of his career. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for him next after he wraps up his tour.
