Nick Pagan with Desert Friends

Nick Pagan is a Chicano crooner, composer, storyteller, and an old soul out of Northeast L.A. Rooted in the past with a finger on the pulse of the future, Pagan describes his sound as “new-wop”—a fresh, modern take on classic sounds from bygone eras of rock ’n’ roll, pop, and soul music.

Pagan’s debut single, “No Mames,” premiered on the world-famous KROQ. His music has been Today’s Top Tune on KCRW, has premiered in publications like Remezcla and Talkhouse, and has been featured in Netflix’s ‘Élite’ and ‘Todo Va A Estar Bien.’

Desert Friends is a Hi Dez, psych collaboration between Antrom Alexander and Lucas Penner with Cody Rhodes on drums. Less than a year old, your Desert Friends are making strides: debut album “Lost Palms Oasis” (October 2024); feature on The Joshua Tree House’s New Moon Playlist (Dec 2024), packed debut show at Más O Menos (March 2024) and a live performance video of their most recent single “Go Coyote”, surrounded by a garden of boulders.