JVKE Spreads His Wings at the South Side Ballroom

Openers Maisy Kay and Hariz perform alongside headliner JVKE at the South Side Ballroom in Dallas. 

Last week, singer-songwriter JVKE continued his tour titled “What Tour Feels Like” at the South Side Ballroom in Dallas, Texas. This date had the biggest attendance of the tour so far, which was apparent as soon as you walked into the venue. Before the show had even begun, fans were lined up at the merch table to get their hands on shirts, hoodies, and other memorabilia. Inside the ballroom, attendees of all ages stood along the barricade in an attempt to get the perfect spot to see the performers. While waiting for the openers to take the stage, the venue blasted the pre-show playlist that consisted of fun pop hits from the 2010s. The fans sang and danced along to the playlist, and the energy in the room was undeniable.

The first act to hit the stage was Maisy Kay, a rising pop artist from England. Maisy Kay now resides in Los Angeles, and has released a series of singles and EPs since 2015. Her most popular track is “The Storm”, which has accumulated over 25 million streams on Spotify. During her set, Maisy Kay donned a purple ruffle dress, bedazzled black boots, and a sparkling butterfly microphone. The purple background lighting perfectly complemented her outfit and her fire red hair. Maisy Kay delivered beautiful vocals while also floating around the stage.

The next act of the night was Hariz, a multi-instrumentalist artist from California. Since 2017, Hariz has released a series of singles and EPs. In 2021, he released his debut album titled Reminisce. Hariz’s two most popular tracks are “The Reason” and “OVRBRD – Zookëper Remix”, which both have over a million streams on Spotify. Hariz’s presence on the stage was energetic and lively. He made use of the stage design which incorporated a three panel screen, and projected entertaining visuals such as cartoon and video game footage throughout his set. Hariz had two rules during his performance which was “1) have fun” and “2) sing with him”. Despite some technical issues, Hariz successfully sang, played the guitar, and captured the audience’s attention.

The last act of the night was JVKE, a singer-songwriter from Rhode Island. JVKE’s first viral hit was his track “Upside Down”, which was officially released in 2020 and has since then been used in millions of TikTok videos. In 2022, JVKE released his single “golden hour”, which has almost 800 million streams on Spotify. The single was included in his debut album this is what ___ feels like, which was also released last year. Since 2020, JVKE has accumulated over 26 million monthly listeners. JVKE’s set was divided into four parts: this is what falling in love feels like, this is what heartbreak feels like, this is what sadness feels like, and this is what falling out of love feels like.

Throughout his set JVKE was accompanied by a narrator, who helped him seamlessly transition between tracks. JVKE’s stage design was bright and colorful, and incorporated household furniture such as a bed and a desk. JVKE performed in his pajamas, which made the audience feel as if we were in his childhood bedroom watching a secret, intimate performance. JVKE sang several fan-favorite tracks, including “i’m not okay”, “catch me”, and “i can’t help it”. With its stunning visuals, passionate performers, and hyped crowd, this show was unlike anything I had ever seen before.