Saint Motel and KYLE will perform as co-headliners with Doechii set as the opening musician for the Programming Board’s Green Key concert on May 20, the Programming Board announced today via Instagram. The concert, which will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Gold Coast Lawn, will kick off the first Green Key festival since 2019.
Doechii will perform first after a set from student band Moon Unit, which recently won the Battle of the Bands competition. The rapper rose to prominence for her 2020 EP “Oh the Places You’ll Go,” the 2021 EP “BRA-LESS” and her single “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake.” She was recently signed by Top Dawg Entertainment and recognized as a “Most Necessary Artist to Watch in 2022” by Spotify and an “Artist to Watch” by Rolling Stone.
“We could see that there was a lot of interest in female rappers,” Programming Board concert director Emma Elsbecker ’24 said. “So it’s so exciting to get this artist who is blowing up and is making waves in the rap community.”
Saint Motel, a Los Angeles-based indie pop band, will perform after Doechii. The group was established at Chapman University film school and have since headlined at music festivals like Coachella, Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo. Saint Motel saw breakout success for its EP “My Type” in 2015 and subsequently released the critically acclaimed full length album “saintmotelvision” in 2016, featuring the hit single “Move.” The band has appeared on NBC’s TODAY, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Show with James Corden and other nationally televised venues.
KYLE will be the final performer of the evening. Also known by his stage name SuperDuperKyle, KYLE gained notoriety for his breakout single “iSpy” in 2017 and has since become platinum-certified for his 2018 debut album ”Light of Mine.” KYLE has also collaborated with artists such as Kehlani, Lil Yachty, G-Eazy, Chance the Rapper and Miguel. In 2022 KYLE released his third album, “It’s Not So Bad.”
Elsbecker said that the “most exciting” thing about the lineup is that co-headliners were the two most popular artists from the survey sent to the student body in the winter, with 80% of students who filled out the survey expressing interest in KYLE or Saint Motel.
“This lineup is noteworthy in being able to appeal to such a large and diverse cross-section of respondents,” Elsbecker said. “We're excited to have picked a lineup that directly reflects what people expressed in the surveys.”
In an email sent to campus on April 29, the Programming Board specified that in anticipation of a large wave of alumni returning to campus who missed Green Key due to the pandemic, guests except for alumni who graduated in 2020 and 2021 will not be allowed at the concert. The Programming Board cited concerns from the town and strain on safety resources. In the coming week, the Programming Board will send registration for current students and members of the Classes of 2020 and 2021 to obtain wristbands, which will be required for entry.
Correction appended (Apr. 29, 11:05 a.m.): A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that 80% of students who filled out the survey expressed interest in KYLE and Saint Motel. These students expressed interest in KYLE or Saint Motel. In addition, alumni who graduated in 2020 and 2021 are the only guests allowed at the concert. The article has been updated.
