A long line of students clad in all-black outfits stretched from the Tiger Cooler steps to the ones leading up to the Branca Family Patio March 29. The occasion? A DJ set from singer and performer Rebecca Black, famous for her viral song “Friday,” which she released as a 13-year-old.
Doors opened a few minutes past 8 p.m., and the throng was ushered inside nearly one by one, slowly filling the room with a proper audience. First to take the stage was student DJ Soren Covell (sophomore) under the stage name Lucas Soar. While his set was simple, it had plenty of crowd-pleasing warm-ups such as Travis Scott’s “FE!N” featuring Playboi Carti to get everyone ready for the main act.
After a short break between performers, the highly-anticipated Rebecca Black entered the room to deafening cheers. The set began with a sequence of subby bass notes that built in volume and buzz, creating tension she broke with a heavy beat drop.
She then launched into several mash-ups of notable hits like a combination of Charli XCX’s “Vroom Vroom” and “Super Bass” by Nicki Minaj, and Rihanna’s “B***h Better Have My Money” over a heavy metal guitar progression. She also previewed a song that she said she had not released or performed yet. Black pushed through technical difficulties early on in the set, hyping up the crowd in the few minutes that the speakers lost their sound.
Though the crowd’s interest waned if a song went on for too long, Black was able to command attention once more with a well-timed hit of nostalgia. There’s no song like “Gangnam Style” to get everyone in a middle-school-formal-esque dance circle again. And of course she ended the night with a hyper-pop mix of “Friday,” seemingly happy to sing the lyrics along with the crowd. While she was by no means reinventing the wheel with her set, she still delivered a fun walk down memory lane for those in attendance.
The event was planned and executed by student-run radio station KOXY. Events director Jaishri Vidyarthi (junior) said that two artists said yes to KOXY’s invitation, but Black provided a change of pace and the spark they were looking for.
“KOXY has been doing these Sunset Shows, which are smaller-scale, more intimate outdoor shows,” Vidyarthi said. “I think [Black’s] mere presence in the Cooler was enough to bring the energy up.”
More energy often means more safety concerns, and KOXY station manager Clare Kennerly (sophomore) said safety is a major aspect of planning these events, especially when they receive such large turnouts.
“We had over 400 people in the Cooler,” Kennerly said. “We were working with staff to monitor capacity and make sure that the space was comfortable.”
Kennerly said that another important part of the show was the inclusion of a student opener, which ties in the student artist community with off-campus artists. Vidyarthi said that many students come to Occidental to be a part of its musical community, and giving students like Covell the opportunity to perform is how KOXY can contribute to it.
“It’s fun to help [the openers] see their dreams come true,” Vidyarthi said.
Covell said he started writing his own music before he discovered his excitement towards DJing. His first shows, he said, were at house parties in his hometown in Connecticut, so he saw opening for Black as his big debut.
“I can’t even put it into words,” Covell said. “[There’s] just like a ball of excitement and stress and a great feeling of achievement.”
KOXY will be hosting a practice room student showcase for all student artists April 12. Follow the KOXY Instagram for more updates/future events @koxyradio, and listen to Rebecca Black and Soren Covell as Lucas Soar wherever you stream your music.
Contact Kawena Jacobs at jacobsk@oxy.edu
