NYU’s annual V100 Concert drew over a thousand students to Terminal 5 in Hell’s Kitchen Friday night, as Steinhardt sophomore Timilehin Awaye and Tisch junior Trenton Michael opened for R&B singer Ravyn Lenae and rapper JT.
The show, organized by the Program Board and primarily funded by the Student Government Assembly, is one of the university’s most popular events. Steinhardt senior Andrea Sanchez-Davila and Gallatin senior Xander Valenzuela, the Program Board’s co-chairs of concerts, said their committee booked Lenae and JT — the concert’s first all-female guest list, with over 10 million combined monthly listeners on Spotify — before selecting the two student performers from over 50 applications.
“We thought it would work best for the run of the show — we really feel that they perfectly complement Ravyn and JT’s sound,” Sanchez-Davila told WSN.
Awaye — whose stage name is Milehin — studies music technology and computer science and opened the concert with her guitar, accompanied by a band and three background vocalists. Her alternative R&B set featured songs from her September EP “Comfort Therapy,” influenced by guitarists like Isaiah Sharkey and Melanie Faye, and producers such as Pharrell Williams and Tyler, the Creator.
The second student performer, Michael, who studies at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, performed a genre-blending R&B set. His gospel-influenced harmonies and rock elements shone through in performances of “Ain’t Nothin’,” “Equilibrium,” “7/11” and “Venus.”
“I’m starting to become more intentional about putting myself out there, rather than waiting for things to happen to me,” Michael said. “This was a wonderful opportunity to seek out people who are interested in listening to my music.”
For both student artists, performing at Terminal 5 was a milestone. Michael, who saw Victoria Monét perform at the venue two years ago, energized the crowd with his dynamic stage presence. Awaye attended last year’s concert as an audience member, and said she never imagined she’d be performing on the same stage a year later.
“The Program Board is so fire with their selection of who they pick,” Awaye said. “They had Doechii, Earl Sweatshirt, Baby Keem, Ken Car$on and now Ravyn Lenae and JT. They’re really tapped in with the people — I love how they’re a bunch of genuine lovers of music.”
At last year’s concert, R&B singer Kelela and rapper redveil criticized NYU’s disciplinary actions against pro-Palestinian staff and students, as well as its Tel Aviv study-away site. The university later canceled the Program Board’s Strawberry Festival following student arrests at a pro-Palestinian encampment outside the Paulson Center.
While Sanchez-Davila did not disclose this year’s total cost, she said it remained stable and was predominantly from SGA, which provided around $70,000 of the event’s $120,000 budget last year. SGA increased its budget for this year’s Violet 100 events to approximately $370,000 — nearly 75% of its $500,000 NYU Initiative Fund. Pat Apap, a Wagner MPA student and vice-chair for the V100 committee at SGA, said the organization allocated $100,000 to the Program Board for the concert — a 40% increase from last year.
“It’s good to see more allocation to that effort, to bring energy, community and really show that NYU is trying to focus on student life and student engagement,” Apap said.
After the two student openers, Lenae performed a 30-minute set featuring songs such as “Skin Tight” and internet-viral “Love Me Not” from her 2022 release “HYPNOS” and sophomore album “Bird’s Eye,” which was released in August.
Following Lenae’s set, JT — formerly of hip-hop duo City Girls — took the stage after a warmup by her DJ, delivering a high-energy performance featuring hits like “OKAY” and “Sideways.”
Between songs, JT praised NYU’s “A+” crowd, and said this was her first performance of 2025. She invited four students onstage, starting with Steinhardt senior Mitchell Mortenson, who rapped “JT Coming” from JT’s “City Cinderella.” Later, CAS sophomore Dido Trowell performed “Red Flowers” from the same mixtape, JT’s 2024 solo debut.
“I was experiencing a rush because usually I don’t do things like that,” Trowell said. “When I got on stage, my voice could not be on a normal level — I was literally screaming the lyrics because that’s my song and I love her.”
The concert was one of several V100 events throughout February that brought together students across schools, including the UltraViolet Live talent show, All-University Games, the Violet 100 Service Fair and the Violet Ball. SGA also gave out merchandise to students at the events, the Kimmel Center for University Life and the MakerSpace at the Tandon School of Engineering.
“At every single tabling event, people have walked away happy and content,” said Maya Sanchez, Tisch sophomore and chair for the V100 committee at SGA. “My entire focus is how people feel when they walk away and I think that we have really created a beautiful community at NYU for Violet 100.”
Contact Krish Dev at [email protected].
