Phoneboy, a band with millions of streams on Spotify and many fans, first sprouted at Stevens. Their first performance of their hit song “Acid Girl” was performed in front of Walker Gymnasium on June 4, 2018, while their most recent performance of this song was on tour with the popular band, The Happy Fits at the end of 2021. “Acid Girl” was the first song that the band released, and since dropping the song on December 14, 2018, it has gained over 1.7 million streams on Spotify.
Stevens graduate, Wyn Barnum, who studied music technology and marketing, started “Phoneboy” during his sophomore year (December of 2018). The band currently consists of four members: Wyn Barnum and Ricky Dana on both vocals and guitar, James Fusco on bass, and Jordan Torres on live keyboard and background vocals. Barnum and Fusco were childhood friends and music collaborators and grew up together in San Francisco, California. Barnum arrived at Stevens and met Dana, and it took them over a semester after they met to begin to realize that they shared musical compatibility with one another. Barnum, Fusco, and Dana all worked together to create Phoneboy’s debut album, Phoneboy.
Phoneboy currently has their self-titled, debut album out on all streaming platforms. Debuting on April 23, 2021, the album has 10 songs and is 32 minutes long. Their most popular song, “1987,” currently has over 1.85 million streams on Spotify. In 2021, their music obtained 3.3 million streams, and Phoneboy accumulated 523.9 thousand listeners.
After Barnum and Dana graduated from Stevens, they moved down to Toms River where they currently reside, while Fusco is located in NYC, and Torres is in Hoboken. The band is not their full-time job yet because Barnum and Dana work as servers for a breakfast restaurant in Brick, NJ called “Taylor Sams,” and Fusco and Torres are still in college. (Fusco is finishing his last semester at Fordham, and Torres is finishing hers at Stevens.)
Phoneboy had the opportunity to join The Happy Fits for a few dates on their “What Could Be Better” tour. They told The Stute that The Happy Fits were the “nicest dudes ever” and that “it was crazy fun joining them.” They also remarked that “M.A.G.S was also performing in the lineup- they ripped!!” The tour was an amazing experience for them and they are so happy to have had their first tour experience with The Happy Fits. “It was our first tour ever and we got a healthy dose of fun, learning, and one case of pinkeye.”
Knowing people actually listen to and enjoy their music is incredibly rewarding for them, and “even though it can be stressful at times (i.e getting stranded with no hotel room in a state we’ve never been) we know it’s all gonna pay off.” A second album is in the works for Phoneboy, who stated that they are “really excited to share our second album (hopefully not toooo far in the future).”
Phoneboy is set to announce a short supporting tour in a few days. They request that everyone keeps checking their Instagram and Twitter @phoneboymusic for the supporting tour announcement and any other future updates on their band.
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