The duo, Joyzu, that consists of Quinton Pope and Carson Willms, helped bring in the new year by opening up the main stage on the final day of SnowGlobe Music Festival. The two performers met in high school and started playing just for fun at parties, but soon enough both of them realized that making electronic dance music was their niche. The duo’s performance stood out from their previous shows done because this time they wanted to focus on the live elements and connecting in the moment. “We’ve changed up the vibe of our show,” said Pope. Willms and Pope brought out live performers including Olivia Reid and Lilianna Wilde. Wilde just debuted in their new single “Famous.”
“Someone super close to me got a little famous and let it get the best of them,” said Wilde. When asked if there was any advice that performers can take to avoid letting the fame consume them, Wilde responded with “Just don’t get an ego.” Wilde brought a certain energy on the stage that connected the performers to the fans. Having the new single sung live brought out the originality and passion behind the song.
The performance that went on at SnowGlobe was not planned overnight. “We’ve been working on this show for 3 months” said Willms,“This is the first time we’ve done the whole live element thing.” The duo has been practicing everyday for three months leading up to New Year’s Eve at SnowGlobe. They hope to move away from the stereotype of just regular DJ’s and bring more diverse and alive elements to their music. Their best friends mindset behind their creation of music is to “Just make a good song,” said Pope, “Every song is different, there’s no right way to create a song.”
Willms and Pope have a lot of big plans for the New Year. Willms explained how their goal is to really break into the “roots of edm.” This past year they have stayed more focused on the radio style of electronic music and are hoping to cross over to the more heavier style of what is EDM. The duo recently signed onto Armada Music and with their help they plan on releasing five more songs in 2018. “They’ve given us a lot of opportunities,” said Pope. Three years ago Willms and Pope were in the crowd attending SnowGlobe, and now with the help of their fans and new record label, they are driving in the New Year with their fun and divergent style of music.
Taylor said the goal of the ZOA sculpture is, “To bring out a very playful aspect in people that often gets lost in larger society.” The piece was originally supposed to be a jellyfish that was going to debut at Burning Man. However, Taylor discovered that another artist had that same idea, so he had to change paths. By having the same jellyfish idea in mind, he used rainbow colors and soft and wrinkled materials that can change and be less predictable. There is also a mini faux fur star inside of the creation that adds a hidden magical element to the ZOA.
