Headliner: Jesse McCartney
Across America and pop music culture, Jesse McCartney’s fame has expanded over the years. The child TV actor turned boy band member turned international megastar is your 2019 TechFest headliner! TechFest will be held Saturday, May 4 beginning at 5 p.m.
McCartney began his music career in 1999 when he joined the American pop boy band Dream Street. He was a member until 2002, and began his solo career in 2003 in a dominant way with his first EP featuring the pop hit, “Beautiful Soul.” He continued writing and eventually released his debut solo album, Beautiful Soul, where the song went platinum and reached number 15 on the Billboard 200. Co-writing several other songs on the album, his music touched the hearts of teenage girls enough to sell 1.5 million copies. He followed “Beautiful Soul” with the double platinum single “Leavin'” in 2008 on his album, Departure. The single was his highest-charting one yet, having over two million downloads on iTunes. In 2014, he released his third album, In Technicolor, and after taking time to focus on other projects, he returned at the end of 2018 with new songs “Wasted” and “Better with You.”
In addition to his own music, McCartney was behind Leona Lewis’ 2007 global smash, “Bleeding Love.” He collaborated with Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic to produce the song which was initially intended for McCartney’s upcoming album, but ended up giving it away to Lewis. “Bleeding Love” was nominated for a Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 2009, showcasing McCartney’s songwriting skills.
McCartney has also kept a steady stream of projects coming in the film and TV industries. He has starred in films including The Chernobyl Diaries and voiced characters in Alvin and the Chipmunks, Horton Hears a Who and video game series Kingdom Hearts. He’s also made appearances on shows such as Law and Order: SVU, Summerland, and Greek.
McCartney is currently booked for several other college gigs, including Georgetown University and the University of Kansas. Here at Stevens, lovers of both McCartney’s old and new music will surely enjoy his TechFest 2019 setlist.
MC and DJ: Antonio Elters
Antonio Elters is a junior here at Stevens. He’s not an art major, but he loves all sorts of art, such as photography, videography, poetry, and music. You might know him as Chad Aura, or have seen him DJ, and you might get a taste of both at TechFest. He can’t wait to get everyone pumped up and ready for the night!
Opener #1: Agoraphobia
John Geldart
John Geldart, also known as Agoraphobia, is a producer/DJ hailing from Boston, Massachusetts. His work seeks to break the boundaries of genres that exist within the Electronic Dance Music scene. Geldart is the CEO of Agora Compositions LLC, a record label that has worked with many local artists and has hosted a number of shows in the NY/NJ area.
Opener #2: Erwiin
Joshua Torres
Erwiin, also known as Joshua Torres, is an alternative R&B artist that uses raw lyrics and melodic production to drive his stories. Gaining a love for hip hop in high school, the vocalist began producing music at the age of 16 and then continued on to writing lyrics. The 19-year-old producer has cited to artists such as 6lack and The Weeknd as major influences in his own work. Erwiin is currently on all major music streaming platforms.
Opener #3: Phoneboy
Members: Wyn Barnum, Ricky Dana, Luke Malvey, Jordan Torres, James Fusco
Ricky Dana, hailing from New Jersey, and James Fusco and Wyn Barnum, hailing from California, combine forces on Phoneboy, an indie-pop force to be reckoned with. Blending mellow indie-pop and hypnagogic-pop roots with their punk and progressive rock influences, Phoneboy creates a unique style for themselves. Their imaginative lyrics and catchy hooks stand out from the rest of the Hoboken music scene, where Phoneboy was born.
Saturday, May 4 Schedule:
4:45 – 5:00: Set Up
5:00 – 5:45: Agoraphobia
5:45 – 6:00: Antonio Elters Set #1
6:00 – 6:45: Erwiin
6:45 – 7:00: Antonio Elters Set #2
7:00 – 7:45: Phoneboy
7:45 – 8:00: Antonio Elters Set #3
8:00 – 10:00: Jesse McCartney
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