All Photo Credit: Kili Goodrich
24-7 Star: Slayyyter Turns San Diego Into a Beautiful Fever Dream
Slayyyter brought her glittering WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA universe to a sold-out SOMA show. The energy was cranked to the absolute max from the first beat to the last scream. Between DIY costumes, spray-paint, bubbles in the air, and a crowd screaming every word back, San Diego became one giant Slayyyter fever dream. Lets run it back.
Slayyyter
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Slayyyter .𖥔 ݁ ˖
The walls were already buzzing before Slayyyter stepped through the door. Standing in the narrow photo pit at SOMA in San Diego, my heart was pounding with excitement. The beginning of “DANCE...” started to play, and suddenly the sold-out room erupted. Then the front door opened. Slayyyter appeared in silhouette, glowing against the house, as anticipation ticked painfully, everyone's brain chemistry had permanently altered for the better.
The entire set looked like it had been pulled straight from the world of her “DANCE...” music video. Which, is the same house that was also used to film Obsession. Instead of simply recreating the visual, though, Slayyyter turned the setting into its own living, breathing yard hangout. T-shirts spray-painted with her signature imagery hung from lines, fluttering in the wind created by thousands of screaming fans. A carousel horse stood nearby, an almost surreal nod to the nostalgia of The Trail of Painted Ponies.
Against the glowing house sat a cooler spray-painted with Slayyyter's symbol, presumably packed with the hydration that was desperately needed after an evening of screaming lyrics and launching bodies into the air.
Leaning against the house was a cross. It was covered in what seemed like a billion and one metallic nails. Under the stage lights, the nails caught the glow like glitter, turning something heavy and imposing into another piece of strange, beautiful set dressing. Every corner seemed to hold another detail. Slayyyter's world is beautifully meticulous like that.
One of my favorite things about a Slayyyter show is seeing what fans create for themselves. The DIY costumes are part of the spectacle. Bunny ears appeared everywhere. Some soft and furry, others framed in black lace.
Fans wore torn-up and spray-painted shirts. Hats reading “WOR$T GIRL IN SAN DIEGO” bobbed throughout the crowd. It was all a sea of the wonderfully unpolished. People had taken pieces of Slayyyter's visual language and made them their own.
I've been a fan of Slayyyter for years, which made photographing this show feel especially surreal. Her music has lived through several chapters of my own life. I remember screaming “Daddy AF” out of car windows with my best friend back in Michigan. I remember traveling across the country with my now-wife listening to her earlier work. I remember seeing Slayyyter open for Tove Lo in Phoenix, then open for Kesha, and now standing in a photo pit while an entire room screamed every word back at her. Including myself…
My god, how beautiful it is to watch the world throw endless flowers her way.
And how fully deserved. From the craftsmanship to the visuals to the music itself, everything Slayyyter produces feels completely and unapologetically her own. She commands a stage with wild waves of hair blowing in the wind, powerhouse vocals cutting through the room, and an unmistakable gratitude for the people who have followed her work through every era. She came out wearing a hat that read “24-7 star,” and I couldn't think of anything more fitting to be placed upon her head. The crowd before her looked equally ready to crown her.
She ripped through WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA, opening with “DANCE...” before moving into “OLD FLING$,” “OLD TECHNOLOGY,” “BROKE BITCH FREE$TYLE,” “CRANK,” “crank 2,” and “YES GODDD.” Those last three songs back to back felt absolutely lethal.
I screamed along with everyone else, danced whenever I could, and completely lost whatever professional distance I had managed to maintain for the first few songs. The room was shaking with people jumping and shouting every word. I screamed so hard that I completely lost my voice the following day. Would I do it again? Absolutely.
“OLD TECHNOLOGY” is one of my favorite songs on the album, and hearing it live hit especially close to home when the Tumblr reference landed. Nostalgia just feels good. There are certain lyrics that feel like they were pulled directly from a particular era of your life, and suddenly an entire room is singing them with you. I realized that nostalgia tickles some beautiful nerve in everyone and the community in that room was fully developed. Warmly. Slayyyter’s energy is infectious. Even with a camera pressed against my face, I found myself moving along with everyone else, trying to photograph the moment while simultaneously experiencing it.
As the set continued, bubbles floated through the air, catching rainbow reflections and glowing pink beneath the lights. Slayyyter changed into costumes pulled straight from the visual universe of the album.
I watched strangers dance together. People screamed lyrics into each other's faces as if they had known one another forever. Friends threw their arms around each other. Fans dressed in homemade costumes became part of the scenery themselves. There was no real separation between the stage and the room. Everyone was contributing to the same magical, glittering ecosystem.
Her music has always carried a sense of freedom. Loud, messy, glamorous, emotional…and her fans seem to understand exactly what to do with it. They dress up. They scream. They sweat. They dance with strangers. They become part of the spectacle. It’s no surprise to the Slayyyter blow up. She’s an artist that has well beyond deserved the dominance.
Article by: Kili Goodrich
Plug In. Tune Out.
Slayyyter is a pop artist known for her maximalist blend of hyperpop, electro-pop, Y2K nostalgia, and unapologetic club energy. Her music pairs glossy, larger-than-life production with provocative lyrics, and a strong visual identity that extends into her live performances. With each era, she continues to build a world that feels glamorous, chaotic, and nostalgic.