2024 Boise Pride Festival Talent
Crystal Waters
Pioneer and innovator Dance Music Legend Crystal Waters was named by Billboard Magazine as one of the most successful Dance Music Artists in the history of the Billboard Dance Music Chart. With over 100 million streams on Spotify and 2.12 million followers on Shazam Crystal Waters continues to engage her enormous fan base. She boasts 13 #1 Billboard Dance Chart hits and 11 top ten songs. Crystal is best known for 1991’s "Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)," 1994’s “100% Pure Love” and the #1 European hit "Destination Calabria" with Alex Guaradino. Her accolades include 6 ASCAP Songwriter Awards, three American Music Award nominations, an MTV Video Music Award nod, and four Billboard Music Awards. Her latest release, “Party People” with DJ Spen and remix by Michael Grey, is garnering major support from BBC Radio One, Nexus Radio, and many more. Crystal Waters’ Podcast “I Am House Radio” features new vocal House Music, with over 2.5 million monthly listeners and fans from all around the world. Crystal’s radio show can now be heard on SiriusXM Channel 141 Saturday and Sunday nights at 8 PM.
Sapphira Cristál
Sapphira is a classically trained opera singer, composer, and drag queen known for her theatrical lip sync style and six-octave vocal range. She holds 14 pageant crowns — including Miss'd America 2020/2021 —and has performed nationwide. Notably, she has appeared twice at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival: first in 2019 and again in 2023, when she was featured as a headlining artist. In the drag sphere, Sapphira is renowned as a charismatic host who commands the room and establishes a special, intimate connection with her audience. Whenever she can, Sapphira partners with charitable organizations to raise funds to change people's lives. Her personal credo is: "There is no better exercise for the heart than reaching down to lift someone up," and she has made it her mission to uplift, encourage, and inspire those around her.
Adore Delano
Adore Delano competed on RuPaul's Drag Race Season 6, placing in the final three, before returning for RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 2. In 2019, New York Magazine named Adore one of America's top 10 most powerful drag queens. She is among the top 5 most followed RPDR contestants across social platforms. As a musician, Adore has released three studio albums and an EP, Dirty Laundry, in 2021. With several songs and videos reaching tens of millions of streams across all platforms, Adore has become a titan of drag music and pop/rock. Her music has also appeared on several television programs, including Pretty Little Liars. Her most recent tour, Party Your World, spanned 50 cities, including many sold-out dates across three continents.
Dev
Dev is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter who was discovered on MySpace and began to gain exposure on radio, MTVU, and the Billboard Hot Dance Airplay chart. The Cataracs produced "Like a G6" with Far East Movement and used a verse from Dev's single "Booty Bounce" as the chorus. "Like a G6" was released and reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song went on to sell over three million downloads in the US. Dev's music videos have generated over 100 million views on YouTube and over 50 million views for the "In the Dark" video alone. Dev, a much-in-demand collaborator, has been a guest vocalist on tracks for 50 Cent, Travis Barker, Flo Rida, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, Demi Lovato, and David Guetta. 2024 finds DEV back in the studio, getting ready to release a new EP.
DJ Alex Chapman
Alex Chapman is a rising dance-pop artist who first made a name for himself as a DJ, commanding dance floors at large-scale events and becoming a nightlife staple. With a passion for music and entertainment, Alex initially entered the industry as a show promoter and music journalist. However, he realized his true calling was in making music and enrolled in a music conservatory, offsetting classical guitar lessons with pop music analysis. Alex soon found his identity as the ultimate escape artist, allowing listeners to experience the freedom of losing themselves in fun. Alex is now introducing himself as a dance-pop artist and is on the frontlines of pop music experimentation. He is currently working on a bunch of new music. With his sights on being the gay Calvin Harris, Alex aims to make dance-pop music that collaboratively fuses pop and dance. Alex’s life experiences as part of the LGBTQ community influence everything he does naturally, and he hopes to use his platform to help underserved communities, especially underserved communities of queer people and queer people of color. His goal is to take his career as far as possible and become as big of a force as he can in dance music while inspiring people to have fun and let loose. Alex wants to encourage a party and a good time and ultimately hopes to inspire other queer people who love dance music as much as he does to know that they're out there making this music, dancing to this music, and loving this music.
Daya
A Grammy Award winner before age 20, Daya virtually grew up onstage. She was a synth-pop innovator from the start, earning a double-platinum hit with "Hide Away" — her self-empowered debut single, co-written when Daya was still in high school — and teaming up with the Chainsmokers for "Don't Let Me Down," a dance anthem that sold more than 10 million copies in America alone. Then, at the height of major-label success, she threw the rulebook out the window and reclaimed her independence. Daya is her own boss these days, and her unique pop music — dreamily ethereal one minute, rhythmically kinetic the next — has never sounded brighter or bolder. A songwriter since age 12, Daya has spent more than a decade sharpening her ability to balance euphoric melodies with beat-driven bounce. That ability hasn't just earned her several gold- and platinum-certified singles; it's also resulted in collaborations with artists from across the musical spectrum, from hip-hop duos and EDM acts to internationally celebrated DJs. "Love You More," a Top 40 hit in Canada, finds her teaming up with electro-house producer Felix Cartal, while "Sometimes…" pairs Daya's otherworldly vocals with Snakehips' disco stomp and a coolly kinetic verse from hip-hop duo Earthgang. There are more collaborations on the horizon and more solo releases from an artist who's learned to embrace the never-ending journey toward self-discovery.
The Aces
In the years since The Aces released their acclaimed sophomore album, 'Under My Influence' in 2020, the band has been on a journey of self-discovery. Faced with the realities of a global pandemic, sisters Cristal and Alisa Ramirez (lead vocals/guitar and drums, respectively), Katie Henderson (lead guitar/vocals), and McKenna Petty (bass) used quarantine as a time to reflect, confronting personal mental health issues as well as processing experiences they'd had growing up together in Provo, Utah, as part of the Mormon church. When The Aces returned to the studio, their vision — and the honesty and trust between them — felt stronger than ever. To date, the group has earned over 205 million career streams; 'Under My Influence' alone garnered over 75 million (including 35 million on its lead single "Daydream"). The album appeared on numerous charts, including #53 on Billboard's Top Albums list. Further, The Aces have toured with the likes of 5 Seconds of Summer, X Ambassadors, The Vamps, and COIN, and have played at festivals all over the world, including NY Pride, Lollapalooza, Firefly, Bonnaroo, and more.
Morgxn
Morgxn was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee. He moved to New York City after college to pursue a career in theater. Morgxn was an understudy in the original Broadway cast of Spring Awakening before relocating to Los Angeles to write and record his own music. He identifies as queer and came out at the age of 19. Morgxn’s music career took off in 2016 with his debut single, "Love You With the Lights On." He contributed vocals on two Tiësto tracks in 2015: “Fighting For” and "Change Your World." In 2020, Morgxn released his first single, “Wonder,” as an independent artist. He has opened for artists like Skylar Grey, Great Good Fine Ok, Phoebe Ryan, X Ambassadors, and Dreamers. Morgxn identifies as non-binary and uses they/he/xe pronouns. His music combines electronic atmospherics with a sensual R&B-influenced delivery, creating a unique sound that has resonated with fans worldwide.
Carlie Hanson
With each emotional, introspective song she shares with the world, Carlie Hanson reveals more of the out-of-placeness that has dominated her headspace over the last few years. That all-consuming foggy feeling hangs heavy over the 23-year-old singer/songwriter's sophomore album Wisconsin, a profoundly personal collection of songs detailing the homesickness that has plagued her since moving to Los Angeles from the home state that gives the record its title. LaCrosse, Wisconsin, is where Hanson fell in love with music. She recorded herself singing in her car, and to her astonishment, it went viral. Producers took interest, and she recorded some demos, like “Only One," which Taylor Swift included on her list of favorite songs in 2017. At 17, Hanson moved to Los Angeles. Despite early success with self-released EPs and her acclaimed debut album, ToughBoy, she felt out of place. Changing your career trajectory is a process, and Hanson documents much of it in Wisconsin. There are, however, glimmers of hope. The title track, for example, is about recalibrating how she feels about moving across the country. As Hanson becomes more confident in her artistry, she brings a little piece of the Midwest to Los Angeles, song by song.