Asha Longsworth
Staff Writer
Thirteen out of 21 University of La Verne students said they don’t listen to electronic dance music, or EDM, the style of this year’s Lavernapalooza headliner, BOLO, and most also don’t recognize the artists performing at Lavernapalooza, in a recent informal survey on campus.
Nonetheless 18 out of the 21 students asked said they still plan to go to the annual concert event scheduled for May 7.
Now in its 17th year, Lavernapalooza is the student-led and organized spring concert held at the Fox Theatre in Pomona. Each year the question of who will be the headliner is a big deal.
Previous Lavernapalooza headliners include Travis Scott, Saweetie, Flo Rida and T-Pain.
“I’ve never heard of (BOLO’s) music,” Megan Orellana, senior psychology major, said. “It didn’t catch my eye, but I’m a big music fan so I’ll go to anything. I’m going to go just because it’s free.”
Originally based in San Diego, BOLO is known for its fusion of Latinx prosody with electronic dance music.
EDM is often associated with rave culture and not always seen as a mainstream or universally embraced genre.
“Personally, I don’t rave but I’ve been to one of his raves, and to be honest it’s all about the vibes,” Daniel Solano, senior criminology major, said. “Wherever there’s music, people are going to vibe to it.”
All students surveyed, however, said BOLO was an unusual pick.
The presence of BOLO, recognized as the first Latino EDM DJ, also contributed to broader conversations about representation.
“I’m Mexicana, so it’s really exciting to see someone who is like me to represent,” Ariadne Gamboa, senior criminology major, said.
“I’m excited because they picked this artist, but it’s a response to everything that has been going on on campus,” Gabrielle Pugay, freshman criminology major, said.
Diversity and representation were frequent adjectives used to describe the opener of this year’s Lavernapalooza. However, conversations about the University’s support of a diverse and inclusive environment, were supplemental to this compliment.
“He is a Hispanic artist which I like, but also La Verne and the whole ICE thing has been a really big problem,” Ayalen Ortiz, sophomore studio art and biology major, said.
“It makes me feel considered, they are really emphasizing the H in HSI,” Kesia Quintero, junior biology major, said.
Still, half of students surveyed mentioned concerns about safety on campus concerning the University’s unclear ICE protocols.
Asha Longsworth can be reached at asha.longsworth@laverne.edu.
Asha Longsworth is a senior communications major with a concentration in public relations, and a staff writer for the Campus Times.
