Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
Sik-K knows who his fans are. He’s not only fully aware of who they are, but he encourages their rambunctious thirst on every level. He’s here for it. And frankly, so am I. Sik-K allows us to let our hair down, scream our heads off, and throw our (ridiculously expensive) bras on stage and not feel ashamed for it!
Because that’s exactly what happened during the FLIP Tour 2019.
Strap in folks, this is gonna be wild!
As a member of H1GHR MUSIC, Sik-K has a level of freedom that quite a few other artists don’t get to experience. He’s gotten the chance to experiment with different sounds freely through different producers, hype his crew YellowsMob, and cultivate an image that is a strange combination of sexy, welcoming, and aloof to fans. Whereas other artists may feel uncomfortable with the level of thirst shown across social media and at events, Sik-K embraces it and encourages it, even addresses it in his music. Because, like everyone else in this world, he’s thirsty too.
I think that’s really where the appeal is. He’s young, hot, and well … you know the rest. But he’s also relatable. He is open about what he likes but also about his boundaries. I think this openness and acceptance is what drew fans in so rapidly to his sound and visuals. It’s also why fans know their limits. They can joke with him, play with him, and laugh with him, but know better than to go too far, as exhibited at the shows across North America.
I attended Sik-K’s Los Angeles show not only as a professional but as a fan who’s been following his music since the demo days, before H1GHR MUSIC when he was cutting and dropping tracks on his own. So of course I was excited to see him live!
A little birdie told me he wasn’t feeling so hot. The rush of jet lag, the first few shows, and touring old-school style in a van with his boys and crew all piled in had put him under the weather. But this didn’t stop him from doing his damnedest to make fans as happy as possible!
We started with DJ SMMT and DJ Avin spinning the audience into a froth as the show started. Sik-K then stepped out on stage all smiles and started his set with “Outta My Head” and “Noizy“. He then dedicated “Rendezvous” to the fans who’d been with him since day one.
After that, Sik-K cracked open a water bottle, knelt at the edge of the center of the stage, took a sip and whispered into the mic, “You thirsty?” Fans screamed. “Yeah, my fans are thirsty. THIRSTY AS FUCK!” and he rolled right into “HABIBI” as everyone sang along with him. He continued with “XYZ“, “Mi Casa Es Tu Casa“, and his recent R&B hit, “XANAX“.
H1GHR MUSIC had been teasing special guests for the entire tour, and LA was gifted with the incredibly charismatic Woodie Gochild, who performed tracks like “Positive Bounce“, “Musc“, “Moonwalk“, “Roll Cake“, and “Let’s Get It” in barely existent, well-ventilated ripped mom jeans and a designer silk button down that Versace would be proud of. The thing about Woodie Gochild is he’s got his own way of enticing you. Not only is his music catchy and addictive, but his dance moves … he knows exactly how to make a girl hold her breath.
I definitely wouldn’t call him an intermission or even a respite as he kept the show just as hyped as we started. He was the perfect addition and a breath of fresh air. Of course fans were super excited to see Sik-K step back out on stage, though. There’s no denying that.
He apologized again to fans and straight up told them “Don’t ask for an encore. We’re gonna roll through.” as he chugged water on stage, took a deep breath, and mustered up the strength to power through “Fuck it Up“, “Fly“, and “Love Aches“.
Sik-K then made an open call for girls named Vanessa before he performed the corresponding song and absolutely killed “Ring Ring” and other tracks. By this time the man had lost his jacket and flashed the hottest set of chocolate abs in Korean hip-hop since Jay Park.
The finale of the show was no joke either. We got “IFFY“, “Party (Shut Down)“, “R.I.P.“, “Yellowsgang“, and “Alcohol“, just to name a few. As things wound down, fans gave Sik-K a baseball jersey with his given name on it and a fan signed California state flag. In return, Sik-K, Woodie Gochild, and DJ SMMT high-fived fans, posed for pictures, and greeted fans. To top it all off, Sik-K jumped off of the stage and climbed the barrier to be with his fans. He worked in as many fans as he could reach from one end of the barrier to the other, even high-fiving yours truly as he finally exited stage left.
For being his first solo North American tour, Sik-K’s FLIP Tour was a rousing success and one I’d waited three years for. I can’t wait to see him again!
