The celebration for the year 2019 ending and 2020 beginning wasn’t just a typical ‘New Year’ celebration, it was also a ‘New Decade’ celebration. We ended an entire decade that was full of incredible and pivotal moments in each and every one of our lives. We saw trends rise and fall, we saw the change in society in the social, political, and economic climate that changed our lives forever, whether that be good or bad. This decade was packed full of beauty, love, death, creativity, and so much more. That is not something to be taken lightly, so of course, it was my responsibility to celebrate like I never have before. And what better way to do that in Music City than with amazingly thriving artists whose music careers originated from Nashville itself?

My evening started with Nashville rapper Mike Floss taking the stage. Having only been familiar with his name through word of mouth, I was excited to check out his music for myself.

With background in jazz and brass instruments, the well-rounded rapper’s music feels hard to classify as a certain type of rap because it incorporates so many different elements and sounds of rap music. From feel good upbeat songs, to rapping about his home-base city Nashville, to hype songs with sick beats that make you put on your stank face and just go in. His set definitely got the crowd’s energy UP and more than ready for Cherub.

Soon enough after Mike Floss’s set ended, the crowd was warmed up just enough to start mingling and socializing with each other about their excitement for Cherub and spreading the New Year celebration cheer. The very first song that they opened with was none other than their hit ‘XOXO’. The lights were dimmed low to a sultry neon blue color and the only sound that was playing was the background clapping coming from the synth as they began to sing the opening lines of the song and the crowd chimed right in. Within a minute the lights stared to strobe right as the beat dropped and then the entire room instantly lit up with more flashing lights and jumping bodies while hands flung into the air and voices yelled out the lyrics in attempted synchronization.

By the time the song ‘Freaky Me, Freaky You’ was playing, things had started to get freaky indeed. The lights turned into a slow strobed rainbow as the music and voice distorter on the mic slowed down and made it seem as if everything was moving in slow motion. The visual image that I now have in my that I associate with this song every time I hear it is one that I will likely never forget.

The rest of the night went on like a dream. Right around midnight the artists counted down from the stage and at the stroke of midnight popped champagne bottles to shoot off into the crowd. I looked around and saw so many smiling faces, those that were kissing or not, and could feel the energy of pure joy everywhere around me. It was the perfect way to celebrate the end of such an incredible decade and year and perfectly set the tone for the next one to come.