How To Win Over Someone Else’s Fans

When Someone Else’s Audience Becomes Yours

That question is playing out as Girlfriend joins Ella Mai’s Do You Still Love Me? Tour, including a stop at Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre. Following a breakout year that included being named BET Amplified Artist of the Month and a Billboard Up & Comer, she is stepping onto the tour with momentum—and a new audience to win over.

When she learned she would be joining the tour, the moment felt “a bit surreal.” She describes the opportunity simply: “I was extremely grateful,” she says via email.

And there is reason to believe those few minutes can matter. A 2025 peer-reviewed study by Drexel University’s Jeff Apruzzese found that 68% of concertgoers had discovered new bands through opening acts, while 67% had streamed their music. Half had even gone on to purchase tickets to see an opening act headline its own show.

The takeaway is simple: the opening act may not be the reason someone buys the ticket, but it can be the reason they buy the next one. Still, winning over someone else’s audience requires more than simply showing up. Apruzzese’s research also found that just 39% of concertgoers considered the opening act when purchasing a ticket, yet 81% said they were likely to arrive early enough to see one perform.

The opener may not sell the ticket. But once the audience is in the room, the opportunity is there to give them a reason to stay curious.

Making A Few Songs Count

For Girlfriend, the answer starts with the setlist. “I chose songs I felt told the most complete story sonically while also showcasing my vocal ability,” she says. The challenge is simple: You don’t have time to tell your whole story, so what pieces of it matter most?

A set can be short, but the impression doesn’t have to be. Girlfriend wants audiences to discover more than a song. “I hope they discover that I really care about my art and my presentation,” she reveals.

That matters in an era when listeners can discover an artist through a playlist, social post or short-form video. Live performance offers something those platforms can’t: the chance to experience an artist in full—the voice, production, visuals and energy of the room.

At the Greek Theatre, Girlfriend put that into practice. She stepped onstage in a red puffer jacket and long curls, performing “Your Love” and “Emergency” before inviting the crowd to raise their phone lights and thanking them for showing up. She also spoke about moving to Los Angeles, missing home and writing songs about her mother, while a brief cover of Tamia’s “So Into You” gave the audience a familiar point of connection.

One concertgoer who came to the Greek Theatre primarily to see Ella Mai said Girlfriend’s performance left an impression. “I usually only show up to see the main headliner, but with R&B, you get excited about who’s coming out next. Opening acts are a big part of the tour because they get the audience settled, comfortable and ready to pay attention,” Jade says.

By the time she left the stage, she had done more than fill an opening slot. She had given an audience that came for someone else a reason to remember her.

Learning From A Headliner

But exposure, on its own, is not the same thing as building a career.

The same study found that emerging artists could see an immediate boost in streaming around major tours without necessarily retaining that audience afterward. The opening slot can create the spike—but the artist still has to give listeners a reason to stay.

That is where identity becomes critical. Girlfriend is clear about what she wants listeners to recognize when they hear her music: her voice, her tonality and her production style. “I look forward to continuing to hone in on my distinct sound,” she says. It is a reminder that the goal of an opening set isn’t simply to be liked in the moment. It is to be remembered afterward.

Girlfriend is also getting to witness that kind of connection up close. Watching Ella Mai perform night after night has given her a firsthand look at what happens when technical ability becomes genuine audience connection.

“I’ve learned a lot about how to better genuinely connect with a crowd of people and entertain,” Girlfriend shares. “Ella is such a pro and an incredible performer so it’s been so valuable to watch and learn from her.”

That word—genuinely—gets at the heart of the opening-act challenge. You can have the right songs, the vocals, the production and the styling, but an audience can tell when an artist is simply performing a set versus trying to establish a relationship. For an emerging artist, that relationship may begin with only a few songs. The question is whether those few songs are enough to make someone stay curious.

Turning Exposure Into Fandom

The best opening acts understand that the audience in front of them is temporary. They cannot assume loyalty. They have to earn attention first, then interest, then—if everything clicks—the next stream, the next follow, the next ticket.

That progression is what makes the opening slot such a fascinating piece of the modern artist-development puzzle. On the Ella Mai tour, Girlfriend has the opportunity to step onto a stage where the audience’s loyalty has already been earned and turn a few minutes of attention into a reason to keep listening.

That is the art of the opening act. It isn’t about being the biggest name on the bill. It’s about making the most of the few minutes when everyone is looking at you—and giving them a reason to keep listening when those minutes are over.

Because the best opening acts don’t simply warm up the room. They make you wonder when you’ll get to see them headline it.