By Paige Mastrandrea By Paige Mastrandrea | May 2, 2022 | People, Feature, Covers,
WORLD-RENOWNED DJ KYGO AND PALM TREE CREW ARE QUICKLY CONQUERING THE MUSIC WORLD AND BEYOND BY BRINGING THE PALM TREE LIFESTYLE TO ALL. FIND OUT WHAT’S NEXT ON HIS BUCKET LIST.
Valentino full look, valentino.com; Bottega Veneta sunglasses, bottegaveneta.com; Kygo’s own necklace. PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOHANNES LOVUND | STYLED BY MANUELA GUTIERREZ GROOMING BY CESAR FERRETTE USING DIOR BEAUTY | SHOT ON SITE AT HARD ROCK STADIUM
Norwegian megastar DJ Kyrre Gorvell- Dahll, more commonly known as Kygo (@kygomusic), has become a treasured household name synonymous with music that provides a good time. Keeping in theme with his and manager Myles Shear’s Palm Tree Crew and Palm Tree Records label, his music coincides with the Palm Tree lifestyle—easygoing, laid-back sunshine and happiness. Upon meeting the unmatched duo at our shoot inside the legendary Hard Rock Stadium, it’s easy to see how they reflect this mentality. Rolling with the flow with an easygoing demeanor but undeniable work ethic, Kygo is the true embodiment of what his music represents.
Celine full look, Prada sneakers, thewebster.com; Kygo’s own necklace. PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOHANNES LOVUND | STYLED BY MANUELA GUTIERREZ GROOMING BY CESAR FERRETTE USING DIOR BEAUTY | SHOT ON SITE AT HARD ROCK STADIUM
This iconic Miami destination was chosen as the background of our shoot with intention—it will be home to the city’s first-ever Formula One Miami Grand Prix. A global obsession for many, the race is poised to draw in a crowd like never before to the city with a mix of domestic and international fans, brands, celebrities, musical acts and revered race drivers for an adrenaline-pumping race weekend spanning May 4 to 8. More importantly, Kygo is set to headline the stage for an epic performance to kick off the race.
While this isn’t Kygo’s first foray into the F1 world—he headlined the Mexico City Grand Prix’s final race day in November 2021—coming to Miami to headline the inaugural race is truly special.
“Performing at the Mexico City Grand Prix was a crazy experience. My initial reaction was shock over how many people were there,” Kygo notes. “It’s such a crazy sport to watch. Playing at the podium at the end of the race, which Max Verstappen won, was a really memorable experience. The crowd had so much energy, it was amazing.”
“I think Formula One coming to Miami is going to be insane,” he continues. “The sport is blowing up, especially after the Netflix series [Drive to Survive]—the interest, especially in the U.S., is so high. So I’m super excited to take the stage again and perform in Miami for the race. I feel like everyone is going to be here.”
Live entertainment is just one component of what’s to come during the action-packed week. Both within the stadium and off-site, the events, live performances, private parties and celebrations will be endless. Given the previous season’s nail-biting championship battle, it’s an exciting time to be able to witness the sport with a front-row view in our home city.
Louis Vuitton full look, louisvuitton.com PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOHANNES LOVUND | STYLED BY MANUELA GUTIERREZ GROOMING BY CESAR FERRETTE USING DIOR BEAUTY | SHOT ON SITE AT HARD ROCK STADIUM
The F1 stage is not the only legendary spot that Kygo will have graced this year in Miami. In March, the DJ achieved the ultracoveted headlining position to close out Friday night of Ultra Music Festival’s Main Stage. With a surprise performance by 50 Cent, the crowd went wild and made for a night to remember.
Celine full look, Prada sneakers, thewebster.com; Kygo’s own necklace. PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOHANNES LOVUND | STYLED BY MANUELA GUTIERREZ GROOMING BY CESAR FERRETTE USING DIOR BEAUTY | SHOT ON SITE AT HARD ROCK STADIUM
“Headlining Ultra Music Festival had always been a dream of mine. I had played the main stage earlier, but that was back in the day. I remember 10, 12 years ago watching recaps of Avicii’s legendary performances there and dreaming about doing the same thing, so it was definitely a ‘dream come true’ moment for me,” he shares. “Bringing out 50 Cent was amazing as well. We felt Ultra would be an unexpected moment for this to happen. We loved the fact that we surprised the audience like that.”
Louis Vuitton full look, louisvuitton.com PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOHANNES LOVUND | STYLED BY MANUELA GUTIERREZ GROOMING BY CESAR FERRETTE USING DIOR BEAUTY | SHOT ON SITE AT HARD ROCK STADIUM
Following this, the jetsetting continues with stops in South America in Argentina, and Las Vegas, where he will return to his residency, as well as Lollapalooza in Chicago. He’ll also head home to Norway, where he’ll be headlining his own stadium show in Oslo, which made history by selling out in a record 10-minute time period.
Nasaseasons shirt and jacket, Balenciaga jeans, Nike AF1 sneakers, thewebster.com. PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOHANNES LOVUND | STYLED BY MANUELA GUTIERREZ GROOMING BY CESAR FERRETTE USING DIOR BEAUTY | SHOT ON SITE AT HARD ROCK STADIUM
“That was unexpected,” he notes. “Obviously, I was so happy about the show, and that was even before the tickets went on sale. There’s always some hesitation and doubt that people have when doing shows like this, not knowing if you’ll be able to sell out an entire stadium. I was actually in the U.S. at the time, and I woke up the next morning and checked the news and saw it sold out in 10 minutes. That was crazy, and was a really special feeling because it lets you know you’re doing something right.”
Kygo and the Palm Tree Crew will also be heading to Croatia followed by the Hamptons this summer for another round of Palm Tree Festivals. The first music festival took place in August 2021 in the Hamptons, where the crew put on their inaugural show to great success. In December, they brought the hype to Cabo, where it continued to grow. Now, the festivals have become a core part of Palm Tree Crew’s evergrowing DNA.
“We had dreamed about bringing Palm Tree Festivals to life for a while now. To host your own festival where you can control everything— like what people can buy at festivals, what drinks you’ll be serving (like our brand, Long Drink), curate the lineup so you can have certain artists showcased—there’s nothing like it. Performing at your own festival just makes the act of a festival performance that much more special. At our Palm Tree Festivals, we bring the full show and the full Palm Tree experience.”
While currently the cities with festivals include the Hamptons, Croatia and Los Cabos, the traction won’t stop there.
“We’ve talked about expanding to a couple of different cities,” he shares. “I’d definitely love to bring this home to Norway at one point. Other places we’ve discussed are St. Barts, Aspen and similar places that we’ve been going to for the past few years. The main goal is to have them around the world—in Australia, more in Europe—just bringing Palm Tree Festival wherever it makes sense to go.”
Building on this Palm Tree lifestyle, Kygo and Shear have been strategic in building their portfolio of investments to partner in synergistic opportunities and projects that mesh with the Palm Tree identity. According to the musical maestro, the opportunities are endless for what they can do next.
“We’re thinking about Palm Tree restaurants, bars, hotels—Myles has been really invested into looking into these opportunities, inspired by Jimmy Buffett and Margaritaville,” he shares. “It’s a very American way of thinking. As a Norwegian, it’s so interesting to see this coming to life. Myles is always thinking big, and we’ve witnessed that we have endless opportunities to bring our world to others everywhere.”
As we’re chatting, he even has a lightbulb moment to create a Palm Tree golf course. Given his and Shear’s close friendship with pro golfer and Long Drink business partner Rickie Fowler, the DJ finds solace on the golf course when not working or traveling.
“Just walking three, four hours and hanging out with our friends, having a couple of Long Drinks—it’s such a great way to relax and think about other things outside of work,” he notes.
We’ll wait and see how that— and Palm Tree Crew’s endless other lightbulb ideas—comes to fruition. Given their track record, Kygo’s talents and loyal fan following and Shear’s keen business sense, the outlook looks bright.
“I feel like there’s really no limits to what we can do. Why not be as big as possible?”
kygo up close:
DREAM COLLABORATION: MY TOP THREE HAVE REMAINED COLDPLAY, ED SHEERAN AND THE WEEKND. I’VE DONE REMIXES WITH ALL OF THEM, BUT I’D LOVE TO MAKE AN ORIGINAL TRACK HAPPEN.
GUILTY PLEASURE: CHOCOLATE—AND WHEN IN THE STUDIO, CHOCOLATE AND ENERGY DRINKS. BUT I DEFINITELY HAVE A BIG SWEET TOOTH.
FAVORITE TV SHOW: GAME OF THRONES FOR SURE, AND I ALSO LOVE THE OFFICE FOR AN EASY WATCH.
SOMETHING PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU: I WAS BORN IN SINGAPORE AND LIVED THERE UNTIL I WAS 3.
WHAT KEEPS YOU MOTIVATED? MY FANS—WHEN I MEET PEOPLE AND THEY TELL ME STORIES ABOUT HOW MUCH MY MUSIC HAS MEANT TO THEM, THAT KEEPS ME MOTIVATED
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