The moon rose and spun as kids poured into the front lot of a house through metal gates. They greeted each other and laughed as pink and purple lights began to dance and the music began to play. It was a warm night and although held in the middle of the summer, this event would be the proper introduction of a burgeoning music scene in Los Angeles – one ruled by queer, hyper-pop artists.
The “It’s Still Pride” event presented by HYPERDOUCHEPOP featured ZAREAH, Alia, Vietta, girlonline, RYL0, neon liberalism and HYPERDOUCHEPOP. All the performers curated the evenings’ storyline – from acoustic covers to glitter vocals to pop ragers – the stars danced and so did we.
The crowd watched in awe as girlonline sang original songs that were fantasylike – with drums creating melodies that could take the place of a heartbeat for how close it wove into the audience. They performed multiple songs including their Soundcloud exclusive hyperpop cover of Olivia Rodrigo’s “Driver’s License” and their hit song “Obsessed”. Girlonline left the audience twinkling, eager to discover what the rest of the night had in store from the purple-pink lit pavement.
This night was the beginning of something else for popstar RYL0. It was her first real-life performance. She wore a white outfit, perfectly fitting for the dreamy atmosphere she was about to create. From the first note of one of RYL0’s songs, you get that feeling music lovers are constantly chasing – the feeling of discovering a song that sounds refreshingly novel. RYL0’s stage presence is completely natural. You know there is nowhere she belongs better than on a stage performing the work that depicts the epitomization of her talent – songs like “Rich and Famous” and “After Midnight”.
HYPERDOUCHEPOP ended the night of live performances with several bangers. The duo, composed of Arie and Stephen riled up the crowd into dance and into screaming unison over fun lyrics about Halloween and the country of Scotland. Their set was something you could only describe to a friend as “you haddd to be there.”
The night went on as DJ’s played songs and people walked between each other, passing where tattoo artist @icedwines memorialized the night for some in ink and others scribbled their names on a mirror. It was a smooth pink, sweltering fever of music and dance – the most memorable reminder that pride indeed goes on.
Velvet Noise 