Idris Elba made his debut at Coachella on Saturday night, wowing fans with his turntable skills. Although the British superstar actor is known to perform as a DJ under the stage name DJ Big Driis, he performed at Coachella under his real name, Idris Elba.
Elba showcased his DJ skills to the delight of fans while headlining a set during the second day of the festival taking place at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California.
Elba took to the stage under the Yuma tent at about 9 p.m. to perform for a packed crowd of cheering fans. The clips below, taken by fans who attended the event, show that a huge and appreciative crowd watched Elba’s performance in front of the Yuma tent.
The sexiest man alive, @idriselba DJing @coachella. I HAVE SEEN IT ALL. pic.twitter.com/CBFeDzfTdZ
— Denny Directo (@DDirecto) April 14, 2019
@idriselba was in the zone ???? #Coachella #housemusic pic.twitter.com/1G8OVh0TLq
— Alonee (@AnomalyGray) April 14, 2019
so i’m inside idris elba’s dj set. this is the biggest demographic cross-section i have ever seen at coachella. he’s currently spinning inner city. house music will save the world.
— eve barlow (@Eve_Barlow) April 14, 2019
Some fans even voted him the sexiest DJ alive.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x_vOiFreuo
According to TMZ, Elba played mostly house music during his performance, which lasted about 2 hours and did not introduce any special guest.
Elba once told Rolling Stone that disc jockeying was his passion before he ended up an actor. He’d been performing as a DJ at social events in London before moving to the U.S. in the ’90s.
“I loved the idea of talking about songs, in between songs, and playing the next one,” he said. “By the time I had awareness that this could be a job, I definitely wanted to do that.”
Elba’s headlining demonstration of his turntable skills comes soon after his show Turn Up Charlie premiered on Netflix on March 10. The series follows Idris Elba as Charlie, a struggling DJ who is employed by a famous friend to work as a nanny taking care of his daughter.