By 6pm, a street near Old Trafford is closed off, cars circling for the last parking space or dropping excited fans near the venue. It’s not a match day though. Instead, the queue snaking along Trafford Wharf Road is full of teenagers, all waiting for their evening with one of the hottest rising stars on the planet.
Freya Skye arrives in Manchester to close out her Stars Align Tour, following 15 dates in the US and just a handful here in the UK. Sold out in moments, the show was quickly upgraded, and then sold out again – a clear sign of the draw of a star who, despite her young age, has already achieved more than most.
Junior Eurovision at 13, a Hollywood Records deal soon after, and then a role in the hit Disney franchise Zombies – it’s been a rapid rise to her first headline tour, supporting the release of the Stars Align EP. Her breezy charm clearly connects with the mid-teen audience and the room is packed by the time we enter, buzzing with expectation.
Adrian Lyles, the 21-year-old singer, actor and High School Musical: The Series alumnus, opens the show and taps straight into the excitement in the room. Feeding off the crowd’s energy, he delivers a high-tempo set that peaks with a cover of Billie Eilish’s Birds of a Feather. He sets the tone for the rest of the night. With 30 minutes between sets, the crowd sing their hearts out along to the PA and wave to a few members of Simon Cowell’s new act, December 10.
Along the barrier, fans who’ve travelled from Scotland, Barcelona and even further away fizz with excitement as the lights go out and the screams reach an ear-piercing crescendo. Sparkling in a blue dress, Freya Skye emerges at the top of the staircase stage right, belting out the opening to Can’t Fake It.
We’re off, on a journey through Freya’s short but already impressive career. New song Petty follows, before she picks up a star-adorned guitar and goes right back to her first song – Walk Over – to the screaming delight of the fans. There’s pure adoration from the crowd, idolising a star who’s barely older than many of them. Her rise and fame doesn’t seem to distance her from them though. Freya is accessible, interactive and constantly focused on the people in front of her.
The community that has built around her is genuinely heartwarming. At times it even echoes the positivity and camaraderie seen during The Eras Tour, and you can spot a little Swift-inspired stagecraft too. After the opening burst of high-energy songs, Freya addresses the crowd: “Hi everyone. Welcome to the Stars Align Tour.” There are bracelets, signs and the occasional cowboy hat, small markers of allegiance and reminders of the hours many spent queueing outside.
The set moves seamlessly through tracks from the new EP, earlier releases, her Junior Eurovision entry Lose My Head, and the breakout song from Zombies, My Own Way. All night, her voice stays crystal clear and powerful. Her engagement with the crowd is confident and polished despite her age. Even as she introduces the band, all around a similar age, she’s every bit the star, leading both those on stage and the audience in front of her.
That connection with the audience feels very real. She stops midway through Lose My Head, cutting the song to check fans in the crowd are OK. It’s warm and packed in the middle and some are struggling with the heat. Freya makes sure security passes out water, even jumping down from the stage herself to help pass cups along the barrier so everyone is looked after.
Her gratitude for people turning up, travelling, curating their outfits and sharing their experiences afterwards also feels sincere, even if it’s clearly well practised. She’s a very polished performer, and you can see the training and experience that comes with being part of the Disney talent pipeline.
But none of that takes away from the talent at the core of it all. First and foremost, Freya is a powerful singer who delivers an experience for the audience above everything else. She already has a strong catalogue of catchy songs, co-written with the likes of Julia Michaels, Mattman & Robin and Johan Carlsson: collaborators with artists including Charli XCX and Taylor Swift.
Freya Skye picks up the second leg of this tour towards the end of 2026, travelling to Australia, the US and back to the UK. By then we’ll likely see an artist growing even further into herself, building on everything this headline tour and EP launch have given her.
It would be too easy to say she’s the new Sabrina Carpenter or Olivia Rodrigo, wouldn’t it?
But she just might be.
