There isn’t a soul in the building whose attention isn’t fixed on his movements. Except me. What I saw in a 12-hour working session with Loe confirmed what the internet has been shouting on his behalf: he is the new face of a state that has produced some of the past decade’s biggest stars. Florida gave us XXXTentacion, Ariana Grande, Rod Wave and Kodak Black, artists whose influence reshaped music and who carved out spaces so distinct they became impossible to ignore. Loe represents another generation emerging from the same heat. The heat and humidity exhaust those who can’t handle the temperature of the journey. For those who can, it refines themselves. It shapes the artists who build something durable enough to withstand the climate.

If you were to google it, you’d read that “natural diamonds are not found in Florida,” and that's where our thinking on Loe Shimmy is already misaligned. We believe they’re not only here, but that we may be witnessing the arrival of Florida’s new crown jewel. There’s something special about seeing the Drake Effect for the first time in what feels like nearly a decade. Loe had every piece of a superstar except the audience, and Drake’s co-sign delivered exactly the kind of global exposure that can turn an artist into a star. His Spotify monthly listeners jumped from about 748,000 in March to more than 6.5 million just two months later.

Suddenly it becomes less about whether or not an artist can reach stardom and more about what happens when they arrive. What separates the artists who are still dominating the industry from those who faded after the opportunity of a lifetime? It comes down to how they adjusted, and whether they kept creating authentically despite pressure from their labels, their teams and their fans. Can they find ways to stay grounded, and focused on their craft with the whole world at their fingertips?