Culture Crash: The Staggered Rise to Stardom

Last month, I attended the Firefly Music Festival in Dover, Delaware, and I think I saw someone who is poised to become one of the biggest stars in the world. Dominic Fike, who blends hip hop and rock, has seen his stock soar for a while now. He burst onto the scene in 2018 with the hit “3 Nights,” but it was his cover of Paul McCartney’s “The Kiss of Venus” that really put him on the map when it was included on McCartney’s album McCartney III Imagined last year. His casting in the upcoming second season of HBO’s hit show Euphoria could just be the catalyst that pushes him firmly into the mainstream.

Getting to see him live before that potential superstardom hits was a thrill, and he was musically very sharp. He played guitar and piano on stage, and his voice sounded great. What was also clear, though, was that he was pretty unfamiliar with playing to massive festival crowds. Fike’s crowd banter between songs was rocky and he called out his own mistakes, almost all of which would have gone over the crowd’s head. Even more awkwardly, he had to read his own lyrics off of his phone at one point.

I can forgive those misfires for the simple fact that he’s clearly attempting to make some huge career leaps, and he may have had to forego a dress rehearsal or two when he was filming Euphoria. Still, I had his set in mind when, a few hours later, The Killers went onstage to headline the night. Frontman Brandon Flowers is the consummate showman, and his 15 years of experience being a massive star have certainly taught him how to command a crowd. I kept thinking he could be a good tutor of sorts for younger stars like Fike, especially right now, as many of them saw their stars rise during a pandemic that prohibited them from performing live.

Despite the growing pains, or perhaps because of them, Fike’s set was one of the most interesting of the weekend, and I would love to see him again in a year or two after he has a bunch more live sets under his belt, because if Euphoria elevates his fame like I think it may, he might just have to get comfortable with those massive crowds.

Fike’s EP, “Don’t Forget About Me, Demos,” and his debut album, “What Could Possibly Go Wrong,” are now streaming, and I recommend them both.