DaBaby surprises Charlotte high school students
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Rap star and Charlotte native, DaBaby, shocked students at Garinger High School in east Charlotte Monday with a surprise performance.
Why it matters: Lovin' Life Music Fest, which will feature DaBaby, is ramping up promotions ahead of its inaugural weekend on May 3-5.
Driving the news: Lovin' Life Music Fest gifted tickets for some Garinger High students and presented the school's music program with a $10,000 check for new instruments, uniforms, sheet music and other needs.
- Bob Durkin, co-founder of Southern Entertainment, tells Axios Lovin' Life came to Garinger because it's "had some tough times" in the last few months. The school has coped with the loss of three students this school year, the Observer reported.
- DaBaby's grandmother also grew up in the area, Durkin tells me. He said it was the rapper's idea to join the festival crew at the school.
- "He was excited about it and said, 'How can I help?'" Durkin tells me. "He said, 'Let's take it to the next level.'"
Zoom in: Lovin' Life is on track to draw 25,000 to 30,000 attendees a day. That's better than expected for ticket sales, Durkin says.
- Fences will go up this weekend at First Ward Park in Uptown to prepare the grounds.
- "We're building, pretty much, a small city over there," Durkin says. "Bathrooms, electric, power, internet, all that infrastructure goes in. And then mid-week, we'll start bringing in all of our vendors, all the activations and all the fun stuff."
Zoom out: The festival will elevate Charlotte as a music destination — an aspiration many powerful people want for the city.
- Yes, but: People are already skeptical of the festival, from water access to stage views.
My thought bubble: As I drove to Garinger, listening to "Joggers" on my car speakers, I thought, "Do high schoolers even like DaBaby? Or, maybe I'm too old to be listening to this?"
- But that's kind of the point of the whole Lovin' Life Music Fest. The diverse slate of artists transcends age brackets and demographics. What makes it unique is legends like Stevie Nicks and fresher names like Post Malone will share the same stage.
Durkin says that's all intentional. The festival is designed to expose music lovers to new artists, including local ones. Young concertgoers might realize they like some of The Beach Boys' songs, and the older generation might find themselves head bobbing to Noah Kahan's "Stick Season."
- "There's a lot of diversity in music right now," Durkin says. "Everyone has exposure to different types of genres...The festival represents that full scope of music."
