Cupid, the Line Dance King, on Dallas Show: 'Bring Your Fan, Because It’s Going to Be Hot'

Cupid, the “King of Line Dance,” is shuffling up some brand new beats for your feet this weekend.

Known for hits like "The Cupid Shuffle," "Flex" and "Do It With Your Boots On," the six-time platinum recording artist is serving up some southern soul right onto the dancefloor. As a prominent pioneer for R&B line dancing, the Louisiana native vows more energy, more soul and even more vibes as he fans the flame with this global movement craze.

Before he morphed into Cupid, the "Pop That Fan" artist was a superstar athlete at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Excelling at football and track, it wasn’t long before his musical talents began to boil to the surface. With roots in the church and a knack for talent shows, it wasn’t long before Cupid ditched his cleats in pursuit of a bigger dream.

Launching his solo career in 2001, Cupid finally struck success in 2006 with "The Cupid Shuffle" — a line dance hit spun at every dance, graduation, cruise and cookout. In just four months, it became a national sensation, and by January 2007, he was signed to Atlantic Records. Now, almost two decades later, "The Cupid Shuffle" is still one of the most recognizable line dances to cater to a growing, global market.
Cupid struck success once again with his viral hit "Flex," and behind the scenes continues to create and release new songs, doing his part to keep the line dance momentum thriving. From Bun B and Paul Wall to even Lil Duval, there’s no shortage of trail ridin’, line dancin’ and fan poppin’ to quench his fans’ thirst for a little song and a whole lot of dance.

On Sept. 1, Cupid hit another milestone, releasing his first-ever R&B album comprised solely of line dances. Titled The Linedance King, the album features 15 tracks of line dances — some with new footwork, and the others as remixed hits.
Channeling all the feels of classic R&B, songs like "The Love Slide" featuring Yung Joc and the R&B remixed edition of his latest hit, "Flex," really show Cupid's vocal range beyond his legendary line dance commands.

Crafting something for everybody, it’s the Louisiana Zydeco flair of "Do It With Your Boots On," to the percussive DC go-go beat in "Pop That Fan" (featuring DJ Kool), to even the gospel-inspired "High Stepping" (featuring Mr. Talkbox), that truly make this an album for all.

We caught up with Cupid to explore the phenomenon of line dance culture further and get a peek at what he has in store for Dallas steppers and beyond.

In May 2025, the State of Louisiana officially recognized you as “The Line Dance King of the World.” What does it feel like to be part of a global movement that brings people so much joy?
It’s amazing. To go from MySpace days – putting "The Cupid Shuffle" on MySpace, to Facebook and then to Tiktok — now it’s just an influx of fans. I think the biggest part for me is that I’m happy that people acknowledge my work. Sometimes when things blow up big, the people who fought and pioneered it and took the brunt of it, kind of get left out. Right now, with people identifying with me as "The Line Dance King," and with me getting my flowers and people showing love–that means a lot.

You launched your solo career in 2001. "The Cupid Shuffle" finally took off in 2006. What was it like for you during that time to create, when at times it seemed as though no one cared?
It was rough. I was putting out line dance after line dance, and I wouldn’t get no love other than "The Cupid Shuffle" because it cracked the mold. I was then the "one hit wonder guy" and I had to live with that for the longest, until [I released] "Flex" and "Do It With Your Boots On," and those started getting big. I’ve been through a lot.
What would you say was the catalyst that kept you going during those hard times?
I almost stopped doing it because I can sing—for real, for real. I was going to stop doing [line dances] and do ballads and real traditional R&B music, but one of my buddies made a comment to me while we were out at Essence Festival and said, "If these people are going to keep putting you in a box, make sure you own the box." It hit me like a ton of bricks. I’d rather be the "King of Line Dance" than the "nobody of R&B."

Social media is probably one of your biggest advocates. One click and your line dance can go viral. How has this played a part in your success?
My promo team is so strong that if I drop a line dance right now and they send it out, there's gonna be 700 instructors teaching that dance this week. This movement has been big. There are line dance instructors all over the world…that have been teaching for years and years and years. I have no problem stepping back and giving the instructors their flowers, because they are the real champions of this movement. They are the ones who are teaching these dances to everyone they know. They are just as important as the music.

You’re super active on social media, often interacting and responding to fans directly. How else has it sparked your creativity?
My latest release is a gospel line dance called "High Stepping." Somebody tagged me in an Instagram video of a preacher talking about "Ya’ll just wanna be out in the club poppin’ them fans!" So I went under his comment and said, "Hold on one second, sir." I [later] dropped "High Stepping" and then I tagged him in it, because I can be petty sometimes. I said "Sir, I made this one just for you. You don’t need the fans, I got you."

Speaking of new music, you’re headed to The Alley, and the word is that you’re bringing a full band with you. What else should we expect? Are you bringing the fans or should we?
I’m coming to Dallas with a full band called The Dance Party Express. If you went to Grambling, Southern, or the University of Louisiana, you know how Cupid gets down. I’m about to blow the top off. Bring your asthma pump if you have asthma, bring some extra flats if you’re wearing your nice heels – cause you’re gonna need ‘em. You’re going to learn at least two or three line dances, and we’re gonna have a great time. Bring your fan, because it’s going to be hot.

As the culture continues to evolve, where do you see the future of line dancing headed?
The power of line dance and unity is in full force right now, and I feel like line dance music is some of the most important music in the world because we scream "unity" and "peace," but we ingest so much other stuff. I think we can start taking in some good, positive music. I think now is the time.

Cupid will perform on Saturday, Sept. 6, at 6:30 p.m. at The Alley Music House, 4980 Belt Line Road #Suite 200. Tickets are available starting at $39.19 on Eventbrite.