This weekend’s Frolics, Davidson’s annual weekend of parties highlighted by a Friday concert, is trying something new: a student performer. Jacob Kim ’26, a Music and Digital and Screen Media Studies major known by his artist name JAYKAY online, will take this stage this weekend DJing one of the colleges largest social events.
This year’s concert will be held April 24. Alongside Kim, the concert will be headlined by Jordan Ward, with additional performances by Samia and Lil Skies. Doors open at 7:00P.M., and the concert starts at 7:45P.M.
Kim moonlights as a DJ and music composer. His mixes have drawn in over 80,000 followers on Instagram and over 250,000 on TikTok. At Frolics Kim will perform three sets: a 15 minute opener, a 30 minute set between Lil Skies and Samia’s acts, and another 30 minute set between Samia and Jordan Ward.
Though Kim has done large shows before, including flying to New York several times last semester to perform, Frolics will be his largest audience yet. “I think I’m definitely gonna be nervous when it comes time just cause it’s the whole school,” Kim said.
Neve Rauscher ’26 and other concert committee members were excited for Kim’s act. “People were super hyped,” Rauscher said, “I think [him performing] was the only unanimous decision we came to as a concert committee.”
Rather than freestyle as is sometimes done in DJ sets, Kim plans to curate his performances beforehand. “I really like things to be super intentional,” he said, “especially when your name is attached to something where people are coming to see a specific person.”
Jordan Ward is an R&B artist born in St. Louis and based out of Los Angeles. He released his first EP in 2017 and has since compiled over two million monthly listeners on Spotify with hits like “FAMJAM4000” and “WHITE CROCS (with Ryan Trey).” He released his most recent album, “BACKWARD,” on Jan 30 earlier this year. Like the rest of his discography, the album features his signature smooth vocals over beats influenced by his background as a jazz and hip-hop dancer.
Ward’s background in dance is actually what made him move to Los Angeles after graduating high school. Before he transitioned to music, Ward worked as a backup dancer for an impressive list of touring musicians, including Beyonce, Justin Bieber, Usher, Janet Jackson and Becky G. Students can expect this experience to translate to an impressive stage presence come Friday.
Samia, whose full name is Samia Najimy Finnerty, is an indie-pop artist born and raised in Los Angeles. She is best known for her 2020 debut album “The Baby” and its hit single “Pool.” She later invited a number of artists to cover and remix songs from the album, including 2024 Frolics artist Briston Maroney for the lead single “Is There Something in the Movies?”
With her cited musical influences including Lana Del Ray, FKA Twigs and Nirvana, Samia’s style could be best described as melancholic and folksy, though she is not afraid to lean into a rock and roll sound on some tracks.
Lil Skies, whose real name is Kimitreus Christopher Foose, is a rapper from Waynesboro, Pennsylvania. He received mild billboard success in the late 2010s after signing with Atlantic Records. His singles “I,” “Nowadays” and “Red Roses” all charted in 2017. His major label debut mixtape “Life of a Dark Rose” peaked at number 10 in 2018 and was certified platinum in 2020. He followed that up with his debut studio album “Shelby” in 2019, which peaked at number five on the charts.
Skies utilizes a straightforward trap style, with uptempo beats and matching lyricism. Though his work has never garnered critical success, he maintains over 4.7 million monthly listeners on Spotify.