Kieran Galpin
Contributing Writer
Last Saturday, Oct. 9, the bedroom-pop, hip-hop influenced Spotify sensation Coco and Clair Clair took the stage at Storke Tower. The concert, which resembled a stream-of-consciousness, Gen-Z, Barbie World fever dream, felt more like a Sims party than reality at times.
With millions of streams on Spotify, a keen and excited audience was likely — although the pair noted the difficulties of university With millions of streams on Spotify, a keen and excited audience was likely — although the pair noted the difficulties of university concerts — remarking that University of California Berkeley’s (UCB) performance was “weird,” and (to the crowd’s cheer) that the crowd in Storke Plaza were “cooler.” The crowd embraced Coco and Clair Clair’s energy; one girl managed to recite most of the lyrics to a song when Coco placed the microphone in front of her.
One of Coco and Clair Clair’s strengths is their ability to avoid taking themselves seriously. From start to finish, they unapologetically established their Coco and Clair Clair world. The strength of their personalities was enchanting, and halfway through the concert Coco’s leap into a bouncing crowd only added more energy to a floor ready to have fun. As mirror selfies, karaoke-style music videos and psychedelic imagery illuminated the back of the stage, the pair’s loud outfits and arrogant lyrics screamed “we know we’re cool, don’t you?” in a kidding and charismatic way.
The music blended steady chord progressions, Clair Clair’s catchy, sweet choruses, Coco’s punchy verses, and hip-hop drum beats. The music blended steady chord progressions, Clair Clair’s catchy, sweet choruses, Coco’s punchy verses, and hip-hop drum beats. Their sound is fresh: the duo’s Atlanta upbringing brings an interesting twist to hip-hop, taking the genre into the lo-fi, dream pop scene. As the bright keys and entrancing voice of Clair clair took listeners to a new, psychedelic dimension, the controlling thuds of the drumbeats kept them grounded, powerless to the bouncing music, enjoying the mood.
Their sound is fresh: the duo’s Atlanta upbringing brings an interesting twist to hip-hop, taking the genre into the lo-fi, dream pop scene.
Moreover, Coco and Clair Clair’s lyrical swagger becomes a parody of modern hip-hop. There are some genuinely funny moments in their songs, their ostentatious “flexing” (flaunting wealth and status to peers) is both a self-mockery and a refreshing departure from music that takes itself so seriously it becomes uptight. Notably, they covered Nicki Minaj’s ‘Dit it On’Em’ halfway through — a testament to Minaj’s influence on empowered, could-care-less female pop. Yet this is not merely satire — the songs are genuinely catchy and easy to dance to, as Storke Plaza found out.
Coco and Clair Clair were a hit. It was hard not to have fun with dancey music, powerful personalities, and amusing lyrics. The two microphones became vessels for two pop stars who knew how to have fun on stage and knew how to seamlessly stream their fun-loving personalities into musical performance. “Afterparty?” they asked, having just sung about being “just like Michael Jackson … moon-walking hoe[s].” After the show, the crowd who came on Saturday night may have felt like they returned to reality walking out of the plaza, but they returned to reality buzzing with energy and feeling like ‘bad bitches.’
The two microphones became vessels for two pop stars who knew how to have fun on stage, and knew how to seamlessly stream their fun-loving personalities into musical performance.