Almost a year ago at Mad Decent Block Party, a promoted meet and greet introduced Makayla Meador, better known as Evergreen, to Major Lazer. At that point in her career, she had just purchased her deck a month before and just started sharing her mixes every other Monday on 104.7 KDUK. Now, she’s going to be taking the Cuthbert stage this Friday afternoon opening for some of the biggest electronic names in the industry at Mad Decent Block Party.
When her Uncle asked “What do you want to do with your major?”, Makayla half joked, “I want to be a DJ”. Her expertise mostly revolved around different DJ programs at the time. She left Virginia to return to her roots in Eugene and quickly absorbed all she could, by reading manuals for garage band to logic pro. Her real training began at a base camp run by Wow Hall to refine her skills and learn more about the craft.
Out of all the attendees, she was the only female. The gender inequality within in the industry is difficult to overlook. “I’m not surprised there’s less females. [Think about how] girls are taught ballet, to go shopping with their mom while boys are told to play videos games, look at software, play around on the computer. I definitely think it’s related to the patriarchy”.
For Evergreen though, she finds her gender and femininity helpful in the music scene. “People want to see something new”. Her objective when performing is to bring as much energy to the crowd as possible, “Music is therapy. I’m directing the experience and watching people smile and have the best time. It’s about taking the audience on a journey”. Her light, peppiness, and her personal style is centered around a feminine pastel twist. Performance wise, Evergreen pulls inspiration from Alison Wonderland, one of the few widely known female producers. Upon seeing her perform, Evergreen put it as, “Emotional; she really got into the performance. She gave a pep talk in the middle of her set too. She grabbed ahold the audience and took them on a journey with her. I want to do something like that.”
She’s not shy to discuss future plans and aspirations either. “It’s so amazing to watch me start as Makayla a raver girl to taking the stage.” Additionally, having her own mainstage is on her bucket list while traveling the globe. At just nineteen, “I’m so young it doesn’t matter [if I fail]. I have so much momentum, there’s no reason why this can’t work.” Success remains in her eyes from learning a new technique or refining an existing skill, but she admits she’s a bit impatient and is hungry for the big stage (Red Rocks anyone?).
The bottom line, “I got this one life. I need to go where I wanna go with it”.
Catch Evergreen along with Dillon Francis, Keys n Krates, Tiësto, and more this Friday afternoon at the Cuthbert.
Find Evergreen on Soundcloud, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.