DPR

Whether he’s mystifying the audience with his live lyricism, or he’s captivating each person in the crowd with a smile that could stop a thousand hearts, DPR Live lives very much in the moment during his performance.

DPR Live is one of those artists whom you hear and never quite believe you’ll ever get chance to see perform in person. At least that’s my assessment. His debut album, 2017’s “Coming to You Live“, was a dream debut for any artist coming out of South Korea’s slew of pop idol releases and hip-hop’s stagnating waters, a combination of both esoteric melodies and rough-ragged MC-ing that was a complete surprise to me when I first listened to it. Anyone who can create something that magical can’t possibly be real. But here we are.

Though not exactly what he intended, DPR Live’s set begins before he even hits the stage. Two words: Christian Yu. Of course, it’s not at all surprising. The “backstage” area was more of an open tent green room that allowed fans in the first row and the photographers in the pit a good glance at whomever’s roaming around. As with many smaller collectives, if one person’s there, the whole family shows up. Likewise, if DPR Live’s giving any performance anywhere, chances are DPR’s founder and biggest advocate is somewhere waiting in the wings (if not on stage). So when a fan standing behind me almost fainted from seeing the lean cut of Yu’s silhouette I wasn’t at all surprised–though I was very concerned for the young woman’s wellbeing.

However, my attention was steadfastly on the stage. The DJ introduces the man of the moment with the ethereal Interlude that was the precursor to the album’s most reflective song: “To Myself.” As the lilting notes of the piano slide through the speakers, the crowd instantaneously reacts, screams and sobs of anticipation arise. Then, after a moment of silence, we get what’s now become synonymous with Hong Dabin’s artistic alter ego: a ’50s radio announcer proclaiming, “Coming to you live!” The roar is incomparable to any other performer up to that point.

DPR Live pulls no punches early on. Clad in a simple T-shirt and a pair of jeans, cap pulled low over his eyes, he’s opted to tease the audience, playing on the waking fantasies of a very estrogen-filled audience. He pauses only a moment, soaking up the adulation from his adoring crowd. Then he launches into the cerebral flirtations of “Laputa.” He’s all intense energy, an intoxicating combination of excitement and ease on the stage that has his audience in fits.

He takes each moment to give reverence to an audience that just over a year ago he wasn’t sure he could pull. Yes, he’s a flirtatious performer, somewhat part-in-parcel for any entertainer who has at least some inkling of his or her effect on an audience. But mostly there’s humility in his swagger. He coasts through his set. There isn’t a track in his repertoire that people aren’t at least familiar with. He takes that knowledge and as with most seasoned performers, implores the audience to sing along with him.

When he does finally remove his hat during the second half of his performance, naturally the audience is both elated and in awe. The sudden surge of adulation does nothing to dim the sharpness of his tongue. As he goes through his newer discography, the audience is there, rooting him on and bolstering his confidence.

It’s when he introduces music that saw him make his first steps into the spotlight where we notice a moment of hesitancy. There’s the question of whether his fame, and by extension the success of his debut album, is a consequence of his collaborations, whether his turn as a viral commodity on YouTube with his participation in the now famous “Eung Freestyle” overshadows his obvious talent.

“This next song I’m gonna play is one of my first,” he says, almost sheepishly. It’s jarring considering all his effervescence and bravado in his performance to this point. When the first notes of “Thirst” ring through, the audience is right there with him. The eyes of many in the front row sort of gloze over, the memory of the first time they’d heard DPR Live almost overwhelming them. The man himself is equally overwhelmed with the knowledge that, yes, his artistry is not only appreciated but loaded as a gift.

Meanwhile, the smile never leaves his lips. DPR Live is a man with an immense joy for what he does. I’m sure every performer that night would say the same thing. His is an abundant happiness. Whether he’s mystifying the audience with his live lyricism, or he’s captivating each person in the crowd with a smile that could stop a thousand hearts, he’s very much in the moment, and his audience happily follows him on his journey.

 

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