Davis Burleson Celebrates Birthday Beatnic style with Star-Studded Bash at Goldbar in NYC
Interview | Jacquex Frankel
Editor | Chaunielle Brown
Who is Davis Burelson? We’re getting to know what many have already been buzzing about since his Washington Square Park spotlight debut last year. Unabashed, a never knew you needed vibrant light, filled with unapologetic discovery with his engaging and unexpected quirky and interviews. 20-year-old, Houston native, student of The New School, social media creator and host of the viral social media show, What’s Poppin TikTok? on TikTok, Davis beams with animated character and charm. He is the sunshine sparkle to any and every day, with daily doses of uplifting smiles and laughter.
March 25th Davis Burleson celebrated his birthday at New York City’s chic, gold-basked and skulled haven, Goldbar with late-night dancing amongst close friends to musical notes catered by DJ Firpo. In all things specially collaborative and sponsored, Davis teamed up with vegan restaurant Beatnic, offering custom cocktails and vegan offerings in celebration of a special burger created to fete Burleson’s birthday, called “The Davis.”
“The Davis” Burger features a lentil and pea protein patty and will be available from March 25th to April 8th at the restaurant’s Bleeker St. location (185 Bleecker St.). Guests ordered custom cocktails including “What’s the Vibe,” “Chic,” and “Dangerous Dave” and ate vegan macaroni and cheese, custom cookies with edible glitter, and burgers and fries. Under the chandeliers and disco ball of this iconic underground venue did New York’s hottest TikTok stars and supermodels merrily dance their ways away.
Davis has recently been a guest at events such as The Christian Siriano NYFW After Party, The Chicago 25th Anniversary, The Fenty x Savage launch, Gossip Girl and has served as a red carpet correspondent at The Global Citizen’s Festival and last season’s Tory Burch Runway show. We can look out for Burleson in the coming days as he will be appearing at the Grammy Awards on April 3, where he will host the @grammys backstage stream on TikTok.
Jacquex Frankel of Team Fault was able to catch up and chat with Davis in further detail.
FAULT Hey Davis! How are you, how’s your day going?
DAVIS It’s going, very busy, but very good!
FAULT How was your birthday? how did you feel, tell us your favorite part of the night!
DAVIS My birthday was so much fun, it was all of my close friends. What was so crazy to me is that I started TikTok about a year ago. And a lot of the people at the party I didn’t know twelve months ago. It was a cool experience, to be in a room with so many people that I didn’t know before. And today I can call them my close friends. My favorite part of the night was definitely hitting the piñata. Lots of glitter and skittles came out, I grew up with them, a major thing in Texas where I grew up. It was fun, I turned twenty!
FAULT Happy one-year anniversary of your social media show, What’s Poppin? How did you start the concept?
DAVIS I have my own personal TikTok where I post videos, and some went viral there. Then a media company reached out in November for me to host something like a gameshow. I was totally down, then we started filming in SOHO. It was working but not really, I didn’t love it. Then we moved it to Washington Square Park and decided to do more random questions. I really wanted the show to give strangers the stage that they never had. Not about me, about them, to say whatever they want.
FAULT You’re a natural in front of the camera, where does your comfort come from?
DAVIS I have a major, Kodak Courage, everytime there’s a camera around me I light up. I love putting on a show as best as I can. Ever since I was little, I always wanted to be in front of the camera. I tried out for Disney three times when growing up. I was never into acting because I was scared of getting judged. When TikTok came out during quarantine, I knew this was my shot. As I look back on my videos, I’ve gotten a lot of practice and I’ve become more confident in front of the camera. Now I say, I’ll do anything in front of a camera!
FAULT What’s the Beatnic collaboration, how did this come about?
DAVIS Beatnic reached out about sparking an idea and together we made a menu item. I love burgers and my only requirement is that it has avocado. I have them literally everyday, they work well with everything especially a burger. The reason for Beatnic is because I’m dairy free, lactose tolerant. but also I’m a picky eater. It’s healthy and doesn’t hurt my stomach. And it’s called the Davis, a perfect match.
FAULT You are making a Grammy appearance, what are you feeling! What are you wearing!
DAVIS I’m wearing Tanner Fletcher to the Grammys, that’s also what I wore to my birthday party, fresh off the runway. Only one of a kind, no ones worn it yet! I love working with them, two great guys. I will be hosting the Grammys live on TikTok, I will be interviewing the artists performing before they go on stage.
FAULT What inspires you?
DAVIS What inspires me is the people who I work with, the people I interview. I learn so much from people, they have helped me grow out of my shell. Their stories are inspirational to me.
FAULT What’s your favorite Gen Z Text slang and why?
DAVIS My word of the year is vibe, not technically slang. But I would say that is very Gen Z, and I literally say everything is a vibe and chic. That was the theme of my party, chic, it’s about how you interpret it.
FAULT What’s your message to someone, a stranger on the street?
DAVIS We put so much pressure on ourselves, focus on your own timeline, whatever your dreams are they will work out.
FAULT What’s your go to meal at a restaurant, what’s the restaurant called!
DAVIS I would say for breakfast, an avocado toast because we love avocados. My go to meal right now is obviously the Beatnic burger. And the chicken tenders, fries, and burger at American Bar in Greenwich Village. That’s my everything right now.
FAULT What’s your FAULT?
DAVIS There’s so many, do you have time?! I’m a horrible multitasker, I can only focus on one thing. I call it organized chaos.
About Beatnic.
Beatnic is a purpose-fueled company committed to providing 100% vegan, 100% delicious food that debuted in New York City in 2015. Beatnic offers a creative plant-based menu of house-made salads, burgers, sandwiches, and baked sweets. A destination for vegans and omnivores alike, Beatnic continues to innovate in the category while staying true to the brand’s creative, inclusive, and vibrant core values. Beatnic’s headquarters are in New York City with its flagship location in Greenwich Village, which re-opened in October 2021; there are ten restaurants located in NY, Providence, and Boston.
Follow along with DAVIS
Special Thank You | Matthew Cancel of Cancel Communications
Interview | Jacquex Frankel