Congress of the South 40 (CS40), the programming body and voice for Washington University in St. Louis students, has confirmed that singer/songwriter Daya will headline WUStock 2017. It is a music festival scheduled for Apr. 1, 2017.
Student Life reported that the announcement was made on Saturday. Daya catapulted to popularity for her hit songs such as "Hide Away" and her collaboration with The Chainsmokers, "Don't Let Me Down," with which she was nominated for a 2017 Grammy.
Speaking to Billboard, Daya revealed that it was the "intense vocal and track" which built throughout the song along with the "raw vulnerability of the lyrics" that helped "Don't Let Me Down" connect with people. She said that The Chainsmokers and herself make a "pretty bomb team."
She is the youngest artist this year to nab a Grammy nomination. Daya admitted that winning a Grammy would be a good motivation for her to continue making more music.
Daya was recently featured as Forbes' youngest 30 under 30 music list member. She admitted that she considers being 18 years old an advantage since it allows her to relate to her audience and write about fresh, relevant and inspiring topics.
It was revealed that Daya will headline WUStock 2017 during the annual CS40 Battle of the Bands event. It featured nine Washington University student bands. The top three bands: The Swamp Cats, River Static and Devin and the Atmospheres will open WUStock 2017 along with a DJ.
Regan Banvard, CS40's Swamp chair, revealed that Daya was chosen to headline the event because of her popularity. She will be the first woman to perform at WUStock in a long time. Banvard added that they wanted to have an up-and-coming artist who people already knew.
Last year, pop artist BORNS performed at WUStock 2016. According to a previous report by Student Life, Adam Tarshis, CS40 Swamp Chair, noted that one of the goals of the music festival is to feature an artist before they "get big."
