At 17 years old, pop musician Daya has performed on stages across the nation — and Athens is next on her list.
On Thursday, Daya, an American singer-songwriter from Pittsburgh, and the Ohio band, PUBLIC will be performing at Templeton- Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. The show is part of the Performing Arts and Concert Series. Tickets are $25 for the first 10 rows and $20 for the remainder of the floor and balcony.
“I think it is going to be a high energy, fun concert,” Andrew Holzaepfel, senior associate director of student activities at the Campus Involvement Center, said.
Daya, whose real name is Grace Tandon, was recently featured in the Chainsmokers song, “Don’t Let Me Down.” She released her self-titled EP in 2015, which includes the single "Sit Still, Look Pretty."
“I’m excited to see her live because I love live music,” Xan Spalding, a junior studying music management, said.
Spalding plans on attending the Daya concert with her mom.
“I heard her first song 'Hide Away' last Fall Semester and it was my jam,” Spalding said.
The opening band PUBLIC, a Cincinnati-based band, has been producing pop music since 2012. The three-man band has opened for groups such as Walk the Moon and Twenty One Pilots.
The Performing Arts and Concert Series holds about 20 shows per school year. An effort is made to bring a wide range of acts to perform throughout the year, and each concert is chosen based on student surveys as well as feedback from other universities, Holzaepfel said.
“We also listen to community feedback," Holzaepfel said. "We are here to serve not only the university students but the greater Athens community as well.”
Holzaepfel said he had a short timeline to book the show, but received positive feedback from other venues who had hosted her.
“We chose Daya because we were hearing from our colleagues and other universities that they had good experiences working with her and good audiences,” he sad.
Each show appeals to different demographics, Holzaepfel said, with different performances catering to certain audiences.
“I think for Daya, the audience is going to be skewed for college students and younger, whereas the Scotty McCreery concert had a lot of students but also a lot of community members as well,” Holzaepfel said.
