USC Concerts’ Executive Directors explained that they took students’ artist recommendations into consideration, but had to make a reasonable decision. They searched for a headliner that brought infectious energy while still fitting budget constraints.  

With the new academic year breaching the horizon, the USC Concerts Committee greeted Trojans old and new Friday night at the annual Welcome Back Concert, headlined by singer Aminé along with several student artists. 

Aminé began his music career with his debut mixtape, “Odyssey to Me,” in 2014. Two years later, he had his breakthrough in the music industry with his single, “Caroline,” earning a six-time platinum certification and charting on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States. 

According to Avani Khorana, a senior majoring in communication and the co-executive director of the event, Aminé was selected as the headliner for the concert due to his infectious spirit and energy on stage.

“He has very high energy as a performer, and he knows how to interact with the crowd really well,” Khorana said. “We knew that his visuals were very colorful, very inviting and kind of a return from the summer.” 

Kaylie Wu, a senior majoring in music industry and the co-director of Welcome Back, elaborated that another reason why Aminé was chosen was that although USC can’t meet all of the student requests regarding specific artists — most often due to budgetary restrictions — the committee tries to create something similar that students can enjoy. 

“We really do look at what students request to try to figure out [the headliner],” Wu said. “‘OK, they want something like this. We can’t afford that, but maybe on a smaller-scale level this artist will provide what they want.’”

The doors opened at 6 p.m. at McCarthy Quad, with the crowd growing as time went by, eventually resulting in a packed venue with Trojans of all years filling seats. By the end of the event, it was easy to spot students donning Aminé merchandise and singing along to songs performed by Aminé and the student artists — particularly for Luna Day’s “Psychosweet.”

Both Khorana and Wu emphasized the work going on behind the show that attendees don’t see. Khorana said that out of the numerous duties they have to perform as directors, the hardest part was the production process, such as ensuring concert safety in accordance with USC policy and reaching out to production partners.

“Knowing what all of the different things mean and talking to our production partners and making sure that everything is where it needs to be when it needs to be there, and then also working with USC internally … There’s a lot of logistical and safety concerns that I think a lot of people don’t know about,” Khorana said.

In addition to the headliner, three Trojans took the stage as openers for Aminé: alum Luna Day, Selma Eriksen and Sophia Condon. 

Although student performers traditionally open for USC concerts, Khorana said this trio was significant in that they were all women. 

Wu said that while this was not a deliberate, conscious decision, it ended up being a way of uplifting diversity and recognition for everyone on campus. 

“It just came together that way, which made me really happy, because I feel like in the past a lot of our headliners have been male rappers or just men in general, and I think it’s important to uplift everyone,” Wu said.

Eriksen, one of the three openers and a freshman majoring in popular music performance, had a particularly unique experience as an incoming freshman. 

“I haven’t started classes yet,” Eriksen said. “It was very crazy to be performing at a school that I haven’t even started at yet, but I think that was also one of the most exciting parts of it.”

Eriksen recently released the song “Love Me,” which she ended her set with. 

“It’s such a high-energy song that I can really rock out to, and I felt like the audience was so receptive to that energy,” Eriksen said. “I could see every single face in the audience, and it was so fun to watch them watch me.”

Condon, another student opener and a senior majoring in popular music performance, said the chance to perform for a lengthy period of time with an active crowd really allowed her to enjoy the evening. Condon praised her band as well as the crowd that gathered for her 35-minute set.

“The people there were really into it, which is always nice,” Condon said. “I thought my band killed it. They were very prepared. I thought it was really fun. I got to have a visual behind me, and it felt kind of like a festival.”

Ultimately, Khorana said that the biggest significance of the concert lay in its values of inviting students into the wide and supportive community of USC. 

“[We’re] creating an environment where new students can come in and feel welcomed, but also they’re gonna engage with a community … It’s just a really unique bonding experience,” Khorana said. “I hope that new students came in and they were exposed to a culture of USC that values that level of connection.”

Sophia Kang contributed to this report.