Jeremih goes down in HPU Spring concert history

By Arbogast, Brandon, April 27, 2016

By Liz Reichart, A&E Editor//

Unseasonably crisp was the night of April 16 when R&B hip-hop star Jeremih took the stage in front of High Point University’s Robert’s Hall. The chill in the air did little to stunt the crowds that amassed on the front lawn, for certainly if any one man could raise the temperature that evening by the sheer power of performance, it was Jeremih.

But Jeremih wasn’t always Jeremih, the sweet-voiced star of the stage. At first he was Jeremy Felton, a Chicago native that was, perhaps more than any other child, destined for a career in music from the start. Born into a musical family, Felton began playing instruments at the age of three and went on to teach himself the saxophone, bass drum, cymbals, quads and piano.

Stunningly, he picked up notes without knowing how to read them and never received any form of classical training. Felton was a student in more than just tunes. Unknown to many, this star earned academic honors throughout his high school career, so much so that he was able to skip junior year and graduate at the age of 16.

Originally, Felton enrolled in the University of Illinois’ engineering science program, at his mother’s suggestion, to ensure a safe career choice, a decision we can all relate to. However, in a clear indication of his work to come, Felton was not one to play it safe. He transferred to Columbia College Chicago art school in 2007 to pursue a degree in music business. From there, the rest is caramelized music history: Felton gets praised by Ray Charles at a school talent show, he signs a contract with Def Jam in 2009, and his first hit, “Birthday Sex,” peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Jeremih is finally back on tour after the release of only his third album after his eponymous debut album in 2009 and “All About You” in 2010. This scarcity of album releases only goes to show how saturated these collections, with the inclusion of his 2016 release “Late Nights,” are with quality mega hits. Even more so in “Late Nights,” which was dropped in February, fans can hear the influences of Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and R. Kelly on Jeremih’s musical style. And HPU fans were eager to get a taste live.

Great HPU performances exist only in the reveries of students who go on to become alumni, passing down these stories of concerts past like heirlooms. Just as I impress the unbelievable J. Cole onto those younger than I, so was the heart-stopping Calvin Harris impressed onto me. Jeremih indisputably gave the best spring concert performance that HPU students have seen in years, one that will rank with those legends of concerts bygone that pass down to a new class of HPU students. Jeremih played his hits both old and new, including “Birthday Sex,” “Oui,” “Don’t Tell ‘Em,” “Pass Dat” and “Planes.”

The concert atmosphere was made only more hype by the smorgasbord of backup crew Jeremih paraded across the stage throughout the night, including back up dancers, DJ’s and members of his squad just trying to hype the crowd up. It worked. The crowd lit up upon the opening notes of “Don’t Tell ‘Em” and responded gleefully to Jeremih’s many call-and-response schemes. On the whole: an energy-filled performance that had every person in the crowd singing along to those culturally pervasive lyrics. Only a few questions nagged at true fans: why did Jeremih not perform “The Fix,” a 2015 song he recorded with Nelly? The song samples Marvin Gaye’s 1982 hit “Sexual Healing” and debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 86, which seems surprisingly low for how often this song is played. While some fans felt the concert was too short, considering the number of hits Jeremih has, it was more of an unspoiled length.

He played a couple new tracks off of “Late Nights,” but didn’t steal fans away from hearing the song that made him famous seven years earlier, “Birthday Sex.” Much like Jeremih’s discography, he put quality of hits over quantity of songs when he performed on Roberts Lawn. I had the chance to meet Jeremih and his crew after that Saturday night show, and to one who may assume Jeremih to be an above-it-all celebrity, en contraire. He is incredibly humble and kind, wrapping his arms warmly around the students who met him. Additionally, he smells phenomenal and should probably venture into creating a signature scent. From what was gathered from our interaction, and from what he posted on Instagram the following day, Jeremih truly enjoyed his stay in High Point, and especially loved the HPU Jeremih water bottles.

This concert was a remarkable night for students and packed crowds don’t lie: Jeremih was a phenomenal concert selection. The only question that remains is who HPU will follow up this class act with in the fall, and Jeremih just made it a whole lot more difficult.