There’s always been a place for mystery in pop music, and on this year’s Coachella lineup, there was no name on the bill more mysterious than that of Jai Paul, the reclusive British producer whose only official album, “Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones),” is actually a finished version of an unofficial album leaked a decade ago. The songwriter has never performed live, so for his cult of fans, his name on the Coachella lineup meant the public debut of a reclusive icon whose career has played out strictly online.
That low-profile mystique carried over to the livestream — or, rather, didn’t: Apparently, the set was exclusive for actual concertgoers and was not livestreamed (or, at least, hadn’t been by Sunday morning).
Unsurprisingly, Paul seemed to take some time getting comfortable, emerging halfway through the opening song, from the back of the stage, which was dressed with faux rocks to look as if Paul was playing on another planet. His stage persona didn’t fight that otherworldly vibe: Paul looked like a sweet-voiced Lebowski, his long hair dangling beside sunglasses that never came off, despite the sun having long dropped below the mountains. His songs lean on ‘80s keyboards and a killer falsetto; though Paul ambled more than strutted, his voice took off halfway through the set, with the audience of lookie-loos shrinking and diehards getting louder and louder.
That crescendo may not yet be deserved — Paul’s shyness teetered between earnest and too unpolished — but the talent and promise is definitely there. Most artists get time to refine that, so it’s unfair to judge too soon — after all, Paul’s debut was on the festival world’s biggest stage. Maybe now is his time to finally climb the smaller ones, too.
