𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐢'𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐯

coachella came quicker than ever since i was performing, and i was so nervous. i have been performing for years now, nearly a decade now, but coachella was my first major festival and it needed to be perfect. i became heavily involved in the production, from lights to the order of the setlist, making sure everything was perfect for the two weekends.

weekend one came and jasmine and i flew without my team for some much needed alone time, as she called it. i didn't complain since the phrase happy wife, happy life was true, i did not need jas on my ass when i was busy getting on people's asses about making sure that my performance was going to be perfect.

we enjoyed the suite that i booked, that overlooked the beach which was a few minutes walk to the stage. the rehearsals went well and when i finally felt like everything was going the way i wanted, i used this opportunity to explore with jasmine. it felt nice to be on good terms with jas, reminding me of why we're together.

the night of my performance for week one came and it went amazingly, the energy at coachella was electrifying, a spectacular buzz in the air as the crowd waited in anticipation. as i stood backstage, i could hear the muffled roar of thousands of voices, their excitement vibrating through the ground beneath my feet. 

i gathered my team and we said a quick prayer, something i made sure to do before every performance. when i got ready near the entrance of the stage, i looked behind me to see jas giving me thumbs up and i smiled back at her before facing forward. i took a deep breath, trying to steady the racing of my heart. this was it – my moment to shine, to connect with my fans in a way that transcended the barriers of a stage.

the stage manager signalled to me, and i nodded, feeling the familiar rush of adrenaline course through my veins. the lights dimmed, and the intro to my first song started to play, the deep bass reverberating through the desert night. i stepped out, greeted by a sea of faces illuminated by the glow of their phones, capturing every second.

"coachella, how y'all rocking tonight?" i shouted into the mic, my voice echoing across the vast expanse. the response was deafening, a tidal wave of sound that washed over me, making me feel invincible. as the beat dropped, i let the music take over, my body moving instinctively to the rhythm. every note, every word came from a place deep within me, a raw and unfiltered expression of who i am. i vibed with the crowd as i let our shared frequency take over my mind.

the crowd responded with fervour, their energy feeding into mine, creating a feedback loop of pure, unadulterated emotion. i saw faces in the crowd singing along, figures jumping up and down at my upbeat songs, whilst at slower songs people kept their eyes closed, lost in the music. it was a beautiful sight, seeing my lyrics resonate with so many people, each of them finding their own meaning in the words. i felt myself ease overtime on stage and started doing whatever, i was even skipping across the stage and singing gibberish at some point.

"thank you, coachella!" i shouted, raising my arms in gratitude before taking a bow. i took one last look at the crowd, memorising the sea of faces, the hands raised in the air, the smiles and tears. this was what i lived for, these moments of connection that made all the hard work, the sacrifices, it was all worth it.

i stuck around the festival grounds, determined to check out the other performances. jasmine took a flight to tokyo the next morning, leaving me to enjoy the following week with my team or by myself. during the weekday, dante bombarded me with a multitude of interviews.

he did warn me beforehand that it was a lot, but i didn't expect three and more a day. i knew that i had to promote a lot since i was dropping my latest song soon, and my fans were anticipating an album. but seriously why was i in a room full of puppies with buzzfeed at nine am in the morning? the puppies were cute though.

by the time friday rolled around, i was dragging my feet to another day full of interviews. i couldn't help but feel distant when they asked me the same questions over and over again. 

even my meds couldn't help my concentration levels, the boredom was too dominant. i couldn't help but feel irritated that interviews have become a necessary part to my job. all i wanted to do was write and make music and then perform. as someone whose staff managed their instagram profile and couldn't recall the last time i casually spent time on my phone, i have never been a huge fan of new marketing methods that seem to be compulsory these days to connect to people.

back in my idols days like michael jackson and lauren hill, all they did was put out their body of work and attended a few interviews here and there. other than that, the real juice came from performing and touring. nowadays, there is fifty things added into that mix.

post a tiktok this, appear on a interview to show what's in my bag that. i didn't mind doing things to connect with fans but i feel like if it was my choice i would reduce my concert tickets prices and just keep doing a ton of shows, allowing as many fans as possible to experience my music live and speak with them after the show.

dante and i were especially not best friends after he dragged me to a networking event after my performance on weekend two.

"stop sulking danielle, you don't even need to network that much. just smile and answer a few questions." dante says as we ride the elevator to the penthouse floor. i huffed, blowing a strand of my curly hair out of my eyes,

"so basically what i've been doing for the past eleven days, got you." dante rolled his eyes and chuckled to himself mocking my sour mood.

"you took your meds right?" he asked and i scowled further at him.

"dante i have taken offence to your comment. that's like asking a girl who is upset if she's on her period. we're so not friends right now." i said in an exaggerated tone, crossing my arms and dante cocks an eyebrow as he observes me. i may be very chill and exhibit tom-boyish traits, but at the end of the day i am still a girl and i be getting mad irritated sometimes.

"and this is the person who people are labelling the mysterious, laid back rockstar 070 shake." i couldn't help but crack a smile at his comment as the doors softly opened to reveal the mass of unfamiliar faces moving around the room robotically and chatting. "look, if you want you can leave in an hour, just try and socialise as much as possible."

"oh i will be leaving in an hour, that's for sure." i sneered as i made my way seamlessly through the crowd, dante leading closely in front.

as we navigated through the crowd, i felt the prickling sensation of being watched. my eyes scanned the room, and there she was – skai. 

she stood near the bar, her eyes locking with mine for a brief, intense moment. my heart raced, and i quickly averted my gaze, trying to shake off the sudden wave of emotions that crashed over me. i had promised myself i would avoid her, especially after the clubbing incident.

but fate had a twisted sense of humour.

so this is why they say not to date your co-worker, because working in the music industry makes everyone your peer and you will bump into them everywhere, especially at work related events.

"dani, come meet some of the execs," dante called, pulling me out of my thoughts. i plastered on a smile and followed him to talk to some GOOD music higher ups, but my mind was elsewhere. every fibre of my being was aware of skai's presence in the room.

𓏲𝄢 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝!