It’s no surprise that Los Angeles is regarded as one of the many hotspots keeping skate culture alive and thriving. As the sunny city continues to inspire those who dare to dream, Converse is honing in on this magic with the release of “As You Wish” , a short skating film curated by the sneaker giant with pro skaters Erik Herrera and Louie Lopez with creative director Ryan Lee.

To help celebrate the film’s premiere at Zebulon in Los Angeles, Converse CONS rider, musician, and producer Sage Elsesser aka Navy Blue closed out the night with an energetic performance for attendees.

VMAN caught up with Sage right before he hit the stage to chat about all things music and collaboration.

VMAN: How are you feeling about tonight?

Sage Elsesser: I’m nervous to perform in front of this specific group of people. I’ve been trying to keep the music separate, but I think it’s a nice learning experience and I think that maybe they’ll like it.

VM: What do you hope will come from the performance?

SE: It’s just some peace of mind. Just [to] kind of get out of my comfort zone a little bit, as I love to perform. I’m a skateboarder, so I felt like the music has been separate, but now the worlds are kind of [combining]. Bringing my music to these people is a little uncomfortable for me, but I think that there’s definitely something good about being uncomfortable.

VM: If you can name one feeling or takeaway that you want this crowd to have, walking away from the performance, what would it be?

SE: My music is definitely an extension of me, to speak on things that are very personal to me. So maybe it can make them reflect on their lives and identify with some of the feelings and have some gratitude. 

VM: If you could perform with or collaborate with anyone that is dead or alive, who would they be?

SE: I would love to collaborate with Vashti Bunyan. *laughs* I love her music. I [also] would’ve loved to have met Tupac. I don’t know about collaborating musically, but I’d like to collaborate with him, collaborate spiritually.