Inside midwxst’s raucous London debut

For midwxst, lovesickness is an energy.

The Indiana-bred artist stormed into the spotlight in 2020 with his first EP, Secrets. The project’s heartbroken strain of rap, which seamlessly folds in elements of digicore and hyperpop, as if to ramp up the jilted emotion, is an astute meditation on the breakdown of a relationship. Vulnerability is a creative tool that has served him well; midwxst is a leading voice for a generation that blossomed online. 

Recently, the 19-year-old rapper touched down in London for a sold-out headline show. Packed with devotees of his restless bedroom productions, midwxst bounces across the room with a confidence usually exhibited by veteran artists. Fittingly, phone lights are a near-permanent fixture in the crowd, as viral anthems like Care and Trying elicit a response deserving of a popstar-in-waiting.

Like all whirlwind debuts, the show was over in a flash. We sent photographers Sam Adjaye and Melodie Cherie down to capture the scenes.