Editor’s Note: This was originally intended to be posted on Sunday, April 15.
The semester is almost over, the weather is starting to get nicer and SpringFest is right around the corner.
Everyone should ideally be excited for SpringFest: there’s music, food, festivities and fun. This year’s SpringFest artist is Jesse McCartney; he is most well known for his hit “Beautiful Soul” and other hits like “How Do You Sleep?” and “Right Where You Want Me.” Some people are very excited and others are less so.
How did MC choose McCartney? Voting was done on Student Engagement’s Instagram page, @mcstudentengage, which only has 899 followers. The page posted pictures of all the artists the school was considering for the event and the votes were counted through likes.
Out of 899 followers, 327 followers liked the picture of Jesse McCartney.
While Jesse McCartney is talented, he can be considered a polarizing choice. The rest of the artists we could have had are all incredible, but they did not receive anywhere close to the number of votes McCartney did.
Considering the fact that the entire student body was not notified of the voting period, the posts are only photos rather than information about the artist or a sample of their music, it is no wonder that twelve out of the eighteen considered artists got less than 100 votes.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited for SpringFest and I’ll be there dancing and singing along, but I think we had some other great options and I would have loved to see who the student body would have wanted if we had a more publicized voting period and more education about the candidates.
This Jasper Jams will be a playlist with little biographies about the artists who were in the running to be our SpringFest artist. Though they won’t hit our campus live and in person, they should definitely be hitting our campus through headphones and speakers.
No Promises – Cheat Codes (feat. Demi Lovato)
Cheat Codes is an American trio of DJs that remix songs as well as release their own music. The members are Trevor Dahl, Kevin Ford, and Matthew Russell. They have released remixes and singles but have not put out an album. Their most recent release was on March 2, 2018 with Kiiara.
MMMBop – Hanson
A pop-rock band from Oklahoma, Hanson is comprised of brothers Isaac, Taylor and Zac. Though active since 1992, they first found commercial success between 1997 and 2000. The band started releasing music again in 2010.
Once In A While – Timeflies
Cal Shapiro and Rob Resnick met in college and made music together in a band that dissolved after some members graduated and then the two formed Timeflies in 2010. In 2011, they released their first album. Their most recent music release is a six track EP “To Dream” that came out in March of this year.
Beware The Dog – The Griswolds
The band formed in Sydney, Australia after vocalist and guitarist Christopher Whitehall challenged guitarist and synthesizer Daniel Duque-Perez to create a riff on the spot at a house party. They then wrote a song and from there, formed a band. Their most recent release is their album “Year After Year” which they released on April 6, 2018.
Die Young – Sylvan Esso
A pop duo from North Carolina, Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn released their first album together in 2014. The band was nominated at the 2018 Grammys for Best Dance/Electronic Album for their second studio album “What Now” which was released in spring of 2017.
In Too Deep – Sum 41
Sum 41 is a Canadian punk rock band that formed in 1996 and has gone through many different members of the years as a band. Sum 41 has toured solo, as part of travelling festivals, such as Warped Tour, as openers and co-headliners. The band’s sixth album was released in 2016 and is continuing to write new music.
All Night Longer – Sammy Adams
30 year old Sammy Adams started releasing music back in 2009 and dropped his first EP, “Boston’s Boy” in 2010, which was received well critically. He was signed with 1st round records up until fairly recently; in August 2017, he released a new single and is currently an independent artist.
What They Want – Russ
Russ, born Russell Vitale, partnered with Columbia Records in 2016 after releasing eleven mixtapes on the label Diemon. He released his debut album “There’s Really a Wolf” on May 5, 2017.
Broken Glass – Rachel Platten
Platten released two albums independently before signing with a record label in 2015. That year she released her debut single “Fight Song” which swiftly took over the radio. Her most recent music release was her second studio album “Waves” in fall of 2017.
Down – Marian Hill
Marian Hill is a musical duo from Philadelphia that got their name from characters from the musical, The Music Man. Jeremy Lloyd and Samantha Gongol released their debut EP in 2013 and in December 2015, they had a song reach the top 40 on US alternative radio. In 2017, their song “Down” was featured in an Apple commercial.
One I Want – Majid Jordan (feat. PARYNEXTDOOR)
Majid Jordan is a Canadian contemporary R&B duo comprised of Majid Al Maskati and Jordan Ullman. In 2011, they signed to the record label Drake co-founded. Their most recent musical release was their album The Space Between in October 2017.
Good As Hell – Lizzo
Born Melissa Jefferson, Lizzo is an alternative hip-hop artist who has been releasing music since 2013. Her most recent musical release was “Coconut Oil” in October 2016. She has performed at Boston Calling and was featured as a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race.
iSpy – KYLE (feat. Lil Yachty)
KYLE started releasing mixtapes under the name K.i.D and released his first album in 2013. In 2016 he released iSpy which gained him major attention. He has since signed with Atlantic records and has been working on new music.
What Ifs – Kane Brown (feat. Lauren Alaina)
Kane Brown is a 24 year-old country singer who first became popular on social media after having auditioned for both American Idol and The X Factor. In 2014, he released his first EP and then in 2016, he released his debut album. (Fun fact: He and Lauren Alaina, who is featured on the song on the playlist, were friends in school and he auditioned for American Idol after seeing her success on the show.)
Bridges – Broods
Broods is a sibling music duo comprised of Georgia Nosiena and Caleb Allen Joseph Nott from Nelson, New Zealand. They released “Bridges” as their first single in January 2014 which was chosen as iTunes single of the week a month later. Their most recent release was in 2016 and in 2017 they toured with Tove Lo.
Oceans Away – A R I Z O N A
The indie, alternative, and electronic dance pop band is comprised of Zach Hannah, Nate Esquite, and David Labuguen A R I Z O N A. They are a New Jersey based band that has been making music together since 2015. They released their debut studio album in 2017 and though they’re just starting to come on the rise, they’ve played festivals including Governor’s Ball, Firefly and Lollapalooza.
Sober Up – AJR (fear. Rivers Cuomo)
AJR is an American indie-pop band comprised of three brothers: Adam, Jack and Ryan Met. They write, produce and mix their own music. In 2013, they released their hit song “I’m Ready” which caught the attention of Sia. From there, their career launched and in 2017 they released their second album.