This artist has the right vibe for summer in L.A.: Celebrate in your ‘Birthday Suit’

An illustration of the artist Duckwrth with the words "Vibe Guide featuring Duckwrth"

Duckwrth’s mantra? “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

(Micah Fluellen / Los Angeles Times)

By Julissa James

and Micah Fluellen

May 20, 2021 12:12 PM PT

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Los Angeles artist Duckwrth celebrated his birthday this month (and Taurus season) by urging his fans to dance naked in their living room to his bouncy new single “Birthday Suit,” featuring R&B singer Rayana Jay. He debuted the funky, house-inflected track at his NPR Tiny Desk performance for the SXSW festival in April.

To commemorate the official release on May 13, he shared a visual on Instagram: A slow pan of the singer-rapper lying horizontal in front of a brown backdrop with nothing on but Vans, chunky silver chokers and his tattoos. The only thing that kept him concealed was a funfetti birthday cake with lit candles.

It was a cheeky but on-brand move from the South L.A. native, whose music over the years has been as fluid and playful as his personal style: rings on every finger, cropped neon hair, on-point manicures and pastel suits.

Last summer, Duckwrth dropped his latest album, “SuperGood” — a quintessentially West Coast record that sounds like how it feels: a breezy drive down the 110 freeway on a sunny day with no traffic. The perfect ultra-chill escape for a year of shutdowns. Duckwrth’s latest is shaping up to be the soundtrack to what we hope is an entirely different summer vibe.

An illustration of the words "Fill in the blank"

🔥~🌟 ~ 🌟 ~🔥~🌟~🔥

The mantra keeping me sane right now is:

An illustration of the Colosseum with the words "Rome wasn't built in a day."

I can’t live without:

Pots of Body Budda with the words "For the Love of Us Body Butter"

This is how I’m vibing right now

The words "In bed with furry covers even though it's 80 degrees outside."

The best neighborhood in L.A. right now is:

The words "Leimert Park because it's Black and thriving."

The sound I can’t get out of my head:

A lyric from Duckwrth's song "Birthday Suit"

My lucky charm:

The words "Moldavite. It's from an asteroid that hit the Czech Republic thousands of years ago."

🔥~🌟 ~ 🌟 ~🔥~🌟~🔥

My playlist right now

🔥~🌟 ~ 🌟 ~🔥~🌟~🔥

Screenshot my mood

A selfie that captures my mood:

A hand holds a cellphone displaying a selfie of a smiling, bearded Black man in sunglasses.

“I’m feeling extra grown and radiant ‘cause it’s Taurus season.”

The last thing I wrote in my Notes app:

A cellphone showing song lyrics in a notes app

“I was writing a house track.”

The meme I can’t get out of my head:

Side-by-side photos of Baby Yoda and Yoda in a meme on a cellphone

“COVID.”

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Julissa James is a staff writer for Image, where she covers culture, style, fashion, art and L.A. She has been with the Los Angeles Times since 2019 and has written for the magazine since 2021.

Micah Fluellen is an Emmy award-winning designer and art director for the Los Angeles Times. While at The Times, he was the lead artist for 2021 Pulitzer finalist series “How to Listen: A classical music series to open our ears in a COVID-quieted world”. He is a Columbus, Ohio, native and graduated from Ohio University, where he studied multimedia design and specialized in journalism while also working as a junior motion designer for WOUB Productions. He has also worked in Washington, D.C., as a creative design intern for the nonprofit the Grassroot Project and as a promotion design intern for C-SPAN.

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