“I’m-a keep on winnin’, it’s only the beginnin’.”
nate sib – “tonight”
Los Angeles native nate sib (Nathan Subbiondo) has emerged as a modern proponent of electropop, with frequent comparisons to early 2010’s Justin Bieber. While initially known as the best friend and opener for rising electroclash star 2hollis (Hollis Frazier-Herndon) on his last tour, nate sib has made a name of his own with his recent EP for us.
I first became familiar with nate sib’s work over this past year through the hit song “famous,” a rap-heavy track with boyish charm that won me over in less than two minutes. Traveling through the rest of his discography surprised me with his mature takes on pop, especially the songs “don’t fall” and “wish.”
While walking up to The Echo, I could not tell if the hordes of people walking alongside me were concert attendees or merely just Echo Park locals due to their clothing: tight black leather pants, baseball caps, zip-up hoodies, and black tank tops. The queue to the venue felt more like an all-male indie sleaze revival fashion show, leaving me feeling sheepish in my simple T-shirt and jeans.
The sudden shutting of lights and a loud “Annyeonghaseyo!” from the back of the theatre beckoned the sole opener, kimj, to step out with his affiliate Olswel. Known for his discography’s theming around his Korean heritage and his affinity for hipster styles, kimj mixed his DJ set with enough dubstep and pianos to transport me back to 2012. Olswel jumped in from time to time to spin tracks while kimj pumped up the crowd.
Around the barricade, a buzz arose among the high schoolers around me. Would nate sib reveal new music? What would the stylish singer be wearing? Would he bring out any special guests, especially 2hollis — a prediction I also had since the moment I was confirmed to cover the show.
Distorted cell phone dials rang through the air, and I knew this to be the opening of nate sib’s “tonight.” The crowd waited with bated breath to see which direction the young artist would pop out of, and lurched forward as soon as he sprinted out from stage left. Donning a black top, dark sunglasses, and a bright yellow flannel, he weaved himself in all directions, various parts of the crowd screaming louder the closer he got to them. His Bieber-like mannerisms went further than just his voice; him taking off his flannel and reaching out to hold some audience members’ hands just before saying “I love you,” skyrocketed countless hormones.
As the emotional “don’t fall” started, I held out one of my hands to form half of a heart. nate sib held out his hand to complete the heart before jumping into the song.
After “u and i,” where he exclaimed how shy the audience was and how hot it was in the room (to which a guy in the back yelled back, “You’re hot!”), nate sib led into “take it slow.” Harmonizing with his pre-recording track, he bounced around the stage to the EDM breaks. My feet joined in on the fun that my vocal cords were having, and I got swept in a wave of carefree youngsters.
Shouting out his family, 2hollis, and God, nate sib set up the tone for his first-ever song “Why can’t you see.” Green stage lights punctuated our jumping feet, and at a certain point I couldn’t tell if he was swaying by himself or dancing with the lights as if it were his partner.
By the time the opening notes of “famous” hit my ears, I was ready to sing along.
I’ll keep being patient, I’ll just be here waiting, until I’m famous.
“famous” – nate sib
He seemed to taunt us after “famous” ended; right as he asked, “Los Angeles, are you ready? Are you sure?” we knew that 2hollis was about to jump in. My heart raced as I leaned towards the barricade to see if my weeks-long suspicion would come true.
The first few chimes of “afraid,” a 2hollis song featuring nate sib, reverberated through The Echo. To my satisfaction, a tall young man with flowing platinum locks twirled out from the side.
We screamed the lyrics alongside the best friends hugging each other onstage, the two coming a long way from making music in each others’ homes as boys. 2hollis plucked a fan’s phone at the barricade to take a selfie video with the crowd.
The two left the stage, and I led a chant of “One more song!” which spread like wildfire.
nate sib’s response? A loud “PSYCH!” from backstage with him and 2hollis running back to perform “afraid” again.
Their audience interaction went through the roof this time — 2hollis completed my hand heart just as nate sib had, and his little brother Ang ran out to stage dive.
Outside The Echo, I got the chance to meet and take pictures with both nate sib and 2hollis. As I walked away, I chuckled at how just a few months earlier I was taking pictures of my computer screen during 2hollis’s Coachella performance of “afraid” with nate sib as if I were there. Now that I had just witnessed the same performance only a few feet in front of me, my faith in the power of music strengthened. Witnessing nate sib’s superstar performance live was not only a reflection of my fanhood, but his dream come true from being a kid from Los Angeles singing over Ableton, wishing to be the next Justin Bieber.
Listen to nate sib’s latest project for us here:
