This is an official love letter to Danielle Balbuena, or otherwise known by her stage name, 070 Shake. If you don’t know who 070 Shake is, today is your lucky day. Chances are you’ve heard her work before, her vocals are featured in Kanye West’s 2018 album, Ye. Shake’s vocals in ‘Violent Crimes’ and ‘Ghost Town’ elevates the tracks to an ethereal level. She’s also the most beautiful human you’ll ever lay your eyes on, and I’m not the only one who thinks so. Last year she was in a relationship with Kehlani, and this year her current girlfriend is rumoured to be Lily-Rose Depp from ‘The Idol.’ Are you fucking kidding me, they are both so lucky…
Dani’s stage presence is second to none. The atmosphere was pumping as soon as we got inside, everyone was buzzy and patiently awaiting to bask in the presence of 070 Shake (lyric reference). The Powerstation was a great venue, it was clean, and the crowds were tame. The staff did their job a little bit too well. It wasn’t packed to the brim full of people, there was enough space where you could dance and had the ability to grab a drink from the bar, and find your friends in your original spot. Normally people would be pushing, shoving to get to the front, but from where I was standing the crowd was well behaved.
Who would have known that one random Monday evening in July would unintentionally become one of the best days of my life. Dani started the show off with the iconic intro to Kanye’s Violent Crimes, and from then on proceeded to literally rock everyone’s world. The music matched with the perfect dose of autotune made her vocals sound otherworldly. The curated show setlist was balanced between heartfelt melodies and crowd pleasers. When Shake performed ‘Honey’, everyone in the bitch was throwing it back. When she performed ‘Blue Velvet’ we whispered how she hasn’t played that song in a while because it was about her ex-beau Kehlani. Everyone was there for the same reason. To bask in the amazing presence of 070 Shake. She finished the show with her feature in Ye’s Ghost Town. Chef’s kiss.
After the show, Dani came out to greet fans, she signed autographs and took photos. I didn’t want to swarm her so I stood back. As she was passing, my friend Jordan asked her what she used for her curls, she dabbed him up and told him ‘don’t worry I gotchu, I’ll put you on.’ I told her that we loved the show and we loved her, she said ‘thank you, you guys are beautiful.’ This interaction single handedly gave me another reason to wake up every morning. There are times you leave a show and you feel like the world has just been reset. 070 Shakes show did that for me. It makes you feel grounded, connected, uplifted and empowered. Holding old friends while we bask in the presence of the most gorgeous and talented person in the world has become a core memory. I’ll think about Danielle everyday until I get to see her again. If you’re reading this Dani (I doubt it), I’m a munch.
If you didn’t know who 070 Shake is, congradulations you get to experience her for the first time and I’m jealous of you. If you want a deep drive, listen to her albums ‘You Can’t Kill Me’ or ‘Modus Vivendi’ as a cohesive whole. If not, here’s a few of my personal favorites to get you started.
