The red-tinted lighting of the El Rey Theatre shifted to bright yellow, and without warning, Jared Pellerin, who performs under the name Pell, burst out on stage.
In that second, the crowd fell silent to the heavy beat as Pell performed songs from his debut album, “Floating While Dreaming.”
Pell pumped up the audience more than opening acts usually do, which set the stage for the headliner, Kindness.
Although Pell is a relatively new artist, he has already gained well-deserved recognition in the music industry and is currently on an international tour.
The rising 20-something year-old rap artist seems to draw in a similar hip and young, college-aged crowd wearing a blend of hip and street-style clothes.
Pell, dressed in an ombre chambray button down with dark skinny jeans, Nikes and a hat that said “SUSHI,” could be a well-dressed college kid himself.
However, instead of studying, he was onstage rapping one of his most popular songs, “Ocean View 2.0,” as he garnered the crowd’s participation to clap to the beat.
In between songs, he repeatedly exclaimed, “Can I get a ‘Pell yeah?’” to the audience, who enthusiastically repeated it back.
After Pell rapped and sang “Ocean View 2.0” over the melody of a keyboard, he walked over to his pad controller to make additional beats.
He lead into “Runaway,” singing the melancholic verse, which had the audience swaying until he picked up the beat as he began rapping.
The change of pace from the first melancholic verse to the rapping in “Runaway” picked up the crowd, and Pell’s infectious energy had the crowd enthusiastically dancing.
About midway through the set, Pell stopped performing to briefly give a shoutout to his birthplace of New Orleans, where he lived before Hurricane Katrina pushed him and his family to Jackson, Miss.
After he acknowledged his hometown, he played the Soulja Slim’s verse of “Put it in Slow Motion” to acknowledge his fellow New Orleans native rapper Chamillionaire.
As the verse played, Pell jumped into the crowd and danced with a fan, much to the excitement of the audience. He performed “Fresh Produce” before his final and most popular song, “Eleven:11.”
Pell ended his set powerfully, yelling the hook into the microphone and pumping up the crowd before finishing his set, leaving the audience wanting more.
Without an official record label, Pell’s sound remains experimental, with his distinctive vocals that are as impressive live as they are on his album, and his mixture of singing, rapping and melodic beats that style his music.
With his energy along with his sound, a melodic mix of rap, singing, heavy beats and ambience, Pell seems to be on track to fame.
– Pauline Yang