So, I’m here! All the way from Buffalo, NY to cover some of the up and comers who are in the midsts of making a name for themselves. Some have already built up their fanbase, drawing in crowds from literally all over the world in 90+ degree weather. But, they’ve come prepared, CamelBaks and all.
Of these up and comers is Jauz, a 24 year old, LA-based DJ who brings the “fist pumping” energy wherever he goes. As many up and comers do, Jauz moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in music. Let us say, it’s not typical for us to cover a DJ, but we feel given his dedication to his craft, constantly posting and producing new remixes, starting his own “vehicle for being able to put out [his] music, the way [he] WANT[s] to,” as described on his site, he deserves a mention!
Jauz’s set at Coachella, despite being a bit behind schedule, kicked off with an enormous amount of energy and continued to grow up until the end. As soon as the first beat dropped, everyone rushed to the stage in what I like to call “fist pumping galore,” especially during his remix of Maren Morris and Zedd produced track, “The Middle.” Yeah, everyone was “losing their mind just a little,” as they sang the lyrics along with the track.
“Pull me closer, / why don’t you pull me close…”
DJ sets are for sure the latest craze and it’s here at Coachella that the idea of “dance like no one is watching” truly comes alive. If there is one thing I have noticed, it’s that people don’t give a shit who is around them, they are in their own world and they are okay with it.
dvsn, a Canadian R&B duo, caught my eye with their emotionally charged performance covering some of the greats like Usher & Kings of Leon, but subtly adding in a few of their originals including “Too Deep” and “Think About Me.” You can read more about their set here.
King Princess, big comfy mustard couch and all delivered an impeccable performance despite forgetting a few lyrics here and there blaming it on being stoned, but to be fair, many people at the festival were. I cover more of her set here, but to sum it up, the singer officially announced that her record is complete!
Ella Mai was soulful as ever, her voice is so raw, it’s tough not to fall into a trance when she is singing. Lyric after lyric, the crowd sung along, some people tearing up next to me for the ones that really touched home. For some reason, I totally forgot about Ella’s English accent until she spoke. “I’m a long way from London” she jokes as she chats with the crowd. I’m in the same boat Ella, want to chat?
Janelle Monae killed her Coachella performance. Out of all the Friday performances, besides Childish Gambino, she was 100% all in and it showed. With an overall flawless vocal performance, Janelle was energetic and entertaining, thanking Beyonce for giving women the opportunity and confidence to do what they do and praising Childish for having her perform before the man himself.
Childish Gambino, who admitted that during the day he had gone through a bit of a depression before seeing Janelle perform, delivered an out of this world experience, and was one of the only performers to go out and interact with the crowd. For some reason, given my love of comedy, my mind kept flashing back to Donald Glover’s standup routine on Netflix. It’s hard to believe someone with such an amazing voice can be so funny. But, why Ashley, why? Because with someone so famous, you want to believe that they are just good at one thing — they can’t be good at more than one thing — it’s considered “superhuman.” But, you can’t think that way. People are multi-talented. Jealousy can get the best of you, it’s the truth, but at the same time it gives us the drive to find our own passions and talents.
Regarding the festival I will say that not sweating your ass off isn’t an option. With the stages being sprawled across what feels like acres upon acres of land and miles that you have to walk, you will sweat. For the fashionistas out there — you can wear heels, but you are going to be feeling it the next day unless you have a personal valet throughout the festival. Your makeup will be non-existent by the end of the day and parties that you were invited to will take hours to get into that by the time you get in, the party will be over.
Damn. But, it happens.
Side note: A major thank you to whomever approved my media request, I will be forever grateful.
Dear press people at Coachella, I’m pretty shy, but it’s nice to meet you. For five years, I’ve hid behind a computer and to be completely transparent this is the biggest festival I have covered.
Ha! The best part? As I sit in the crowd and pull out my laptop, people are walking by “are you working, are you doing homework?” Besides the photographers front and center, I don’t see anyone doing what I’m doing. I like to enjoy the experience and be apart of the crowd. I look a lot younger for my age, but I am closer to 30 than I am 20. I’ll take it as a compliment later in life. “I’m doing press for Coachella,” I say under my breath. I’m not embarrassed, just humbled, I’m not one to throw anything in someone’s face, not that there is anything to throw. It’s hard not to care what other people think — but I know myself and I have worked really hard for this “moment.”
Someone asked me the other day, “Why did you start Elicit Magazine? What makes you different?” It took a while to answer because really, there are a lot of reasons. Like many of the musicians Elicit covers, I guess I am trying to make a name for myself, but at the same time, never trying to put a face to the name. Seems contradicting. The real reason? Karma. I think that if I can do good for other people that somewhere along the line the favor will be returned. I’m empathetic and sympathetic at the same time and yeah, emotions get the best of me — but it’s human and it’s what makes Elicit different; we prefer quality over quantity.
Day 2 of Coachella today and I’m officially 20 shades darker than when I first got here. I won’t be wearing my Elicit Magazine gear today, but I will be sporting a pink tank and denim shorts, oh and yeah, I’ll be the “girl with the laptop” in the crowd just working on her “homework.” See you soon.
Written by Ashley Friedman