It was a huge weekend for 17-year-old Moore Kismet.
The high school senior, who identifies as nonbinary and pansexual, had their pink prom dress ready for an unforgettable Saturday night with friends.
But before prom night, Kismet had an even bigger night performing on Friday evening during weekend two of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
“I’m just really really grateful everyone was so receptive with what I played; nothing can compare to this,” said Kismet shortly after walking off the Do Lab stage where they blasted through an approximately hour-long set of energetic bass-driven dance music while hyping up the crowd with not just DJ skills but with rap talent too.
Moore Kismet performs on the Do Lab stage during Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on Friday, April 22, 2022. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Born Omar Davis in Tarzana, Kismet, who sported pink braids that waved wildly in the air as they jumped up and down from behind the turntable, is now a senior at Adelanto High School in San Bernardino County.
And while they’re still young, Kismet is already an experienced DJ and producer. Last year they performed at Lollapalooza in Chicago and the Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas.
Kismet was also included on Billboard’s list of 21 artists under 21 to watch last year alongside other artists such as Billie Eilish, Willow and Olivia Rodrigo.
Kismet already has about a decade of experience since they started making music at the age of 7 by using the family laptop and downloading Fruity Loops software to make beats while also using YouTube tutorials to learn the craft.
“I really just wanted to try and understand different forms of music better and ultimately my mom got me my own computer and I was just messing around with software and really, that’s ultimately what led to becoming Moore Kismet,” they said.
Moore Kismet performs on the Do Lab stage during Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on Friday, April 22, 2022. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
Kismet, whose music is a mix of EDM, pop and R&B, is one of more than a dozen LGBTQ+ artists performing this year at Coachella, including Orville Peck, Princess Nokia and Arlo Parks.
It’s also the first year of a new Goldenvoice initiative called Q+, which aims to empower, celebrate and provide a gathering place for the Queer+ and the Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities.
Related Articles
Coachella 2022: Lizzo with Harry Styles, Kendrick Lamar and everything else from Friday of Weekend 2
Coachella 2022: Harry Styles brings Lizzo on stage to join him on Weekend 2
Coachella 2022: Baby Keem brings out Kendrick Lamar for the festival’s second weekend
Coachella 2022: These photos show you the festival fashion and outfits from Weekend 2
Coachella 2022: These photos show the vibes of the festival’s second weekend
Coachella was a good fit for Kismet, whose identity is intertwined with their music.
“A lot of the experiences I face as a queer Black person have directly influenced my music,” they said. “A lot of what I write about is about my life and I can’t accurately write stuff about my life without the same feeling and emotion if I don’t include everything,” they said.
And their set at Coachella was filled with emotion as the teenager jumped wildly while spinning dance music, continuously interacted with the audience and pumped up the crowd, even those who had never heard of the artist.
“That was an amazing set. It was impossible not to dance,” said Nick Trujillo, who planned on only hearing a few of Kismet’s songs but ended up staying for the entire set, adding that he stayed for the entire set because Kismet was “charismatic and draws you in.”
Next up for Kismet is a debut album titled “Universe,” which will be released in June.
They also have lofty plans for their next Coachella performance.
“Next year or the year after that I want to be headlining it. Moorechella is something that has been in my brain,” they said.
But Kismet still has some teenage stuff to do, since this was prom weekend too.
“I got my dress a couple of weeks ago and I’m really excited because it’s this really beautiful pretty pink butterfly gown. It’s so beautiful and I can’t wait to snap photos and show everybody,” they said.