We can’t talk about hyperpop without talking about cult record label PC Music. PC Music, founded by English producer A. G. Cook in 2013, blasted hyperpop into the mainstream, revamping the trashy pop of the early aughts and spreading it like wildfire across the internet. But if PC Music’s bubblegum bass, glitchy electronic sounds, and bright, bold, undeniably pink aesthetic rebuilt pop music as we knew it, UK pop sensation Hannah Diamond—one of the first artists signed to PC Music back in 2013—was there with a bedazzled hard hat and a pink hammer to boot. PC Music disbanded on its 10th anniversary in 2023, but the label left behind a legacy of sound embedded in pop today, and Diamond is one of many musicians carrying that legacy forward. This Thursday, June 18, Diamond will play a DJ set at Holocene alongside Portland’s very own Emoji Heap and Sweetbabyjames.
Diamond is an artist in every sense of the word. Her image and musical sound are carefully curated. As a photographer, she shoots and retouches all her album art to create an overtly feminine, hyperreal image. She has been a fixture of hyperpop since she first arrived on the scene in 2013 with the ever-so catchy single “Pink and Blue.”
Over the course of the last decade, Diamond has sprinkled her sound across pop music. Diamond and A. G. Cook became a dynamic duo, collaborating on several tracks, from 2015’s “Drop FM” to several tracks on the 2020 album 7G. In 2016, she collaborated with Charli XCX on the track “Paradise.” In 2020, she was featured on 100 gecs’ remix album alongside Tommy Cash. She’s also worked with other PC Music alums, Danny L. Harle and easyfun. She’s released two pop albums, Reflections (2019) and Picture Perfect (2023), designing the cover art for both projects. For the last few years, Diamond has shifted her main focus from live singing to DJing, playing shows across London and New York City. At the beginning of June, she played the highly anticipated Primavera music festival in Barcelona.
“I’ve seen her [Diamond] DJ, and she’s a legit, really good DJ,” said Harrison Smith, Holocene’s marketing manager. “That’s someone who we want to hear what she has to play, and be part of her world.”
Smith said that for the show’s openers, he wanted to book Portland DJs who are also fans of Diamond and what she represents.
“I try to get people who are fans of the artists, because number one, they’re going to be super excited to do it, and they’re going to try and put their best foot forward, because this is someone that they like and really respect,” Smith added.
Portland DJ and self-proclaimed “PC Music fangirl” James Alexander, AKA Sweetbabyjames, will be the first opener of the evening.
Alexander describes himself as a DIY DJ. Since appearing on the scene in Portland in early 2021, he has primarily DJed at house shows, afters, and queer parties. If you’ve ever found yourself in a smoky basement at three in the morning listening to what only faintly reminds you of Ice Spice, you have probably heard the super-spliced pop sounds of Sweetbabyjames.
“I get bored when music is just instrumental, especially dance music,” He said. “I think there are spaces for that, but I need a little bit of humor and like, ‘what-the-fuck’-ness in a DJ set.”
For this set, Alexander wants high-pitched, almost cartoon-like vocals to be the focal point rather than the more layered sounds that PC Music is better known for.
Alexander has been a longtime PC Music follower. He recalled joining a PC Music Facebook group back in college where people would share remixes of songs, photos, and new releases. “Back then, that group had about 800 members,” he said.
“This show is truly a full circle moment for me,” Alexander said. “Listening to this music as a 22-year-old, and finding so much identity and community through that music.”
The second opener of the night, Peggy Sisouvong (AKA Emoji Heap), would also consider herself a Diamond fan since the early days of PC Music. As a visual arts student at Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA), Sisouvong said she was inspired that Diamond, who also came from a visual arts background, could make music too.
“Portland doesn’t have someone like Hannah here all the time, so this is a real treat,” Sisouvong said. “She’s not touring or anything, either. She’s here for Portland, which makes this all the more special.”
For Sisouvong, DJing started out as what she calls a “party girl thing,” but has since transformed into a professional, decade-long career. She has played at various venues across Portland and Seattle, alongside artists including: Doss, Ninajirachi, and LSDXOXO.
This isn’t Sisouvong’s first time playing a show with Diamond; she played a virtual rave with Diamond inside a video game called IMVU in July of 2020. She said that although that was a fun experience, she’s excited to perform with her in a more personable setting.
In a Portland Mercury piece published in 2019, Sisouvong said she used to describe her music as “anime girls on Adderall.”
“I wouldn’t say that anymore,” she said. “That was the definition of where I was at. I was in my party girl era, and into hyper, overstimulation—the BPM was high.”
She said she prefers a more balanced set now. She added, “Chaos can be a beautiful thing, but it’s good to know how to control it too.”
Nostalgia also fuels her sound these days. “I overheard a guy say once when I was DJing recently that I sound like I’m DJing a Cartoon Network event, and that is a compliment to me.”
For her set at the Hannah Diamond show, Sisouvong hinted at embracing Southeast Asian dance music, specifically Indonesian, Vietnamesem, and Thai hyperpop.
Holocene is treating Diamond’s arrival with a slight makeover fit for an artist as fabulous as her. Without giving too much away, Smith said to expect custom strobe lighting, and of course, lots of pink.
Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, Thurs, June 18, 9 pm, $28-$32, more info here, 21+