MACON – Mercer's annual Bearstock outdoor music festival will be headlined this year by MKTO, Jon Bellion, Elephante and DNK., the University's student programming board QuadWorks announced today.
Bearstock 2016 will take place April 9 from 1-11 p.m. in Tattnall Square Park, and for the first time in its nine-year history, it will be a part of Macon's International Cherry Blossom Festival.
The event will be free and open to the public, with a variety of bands and food vendors to suit most every taste.
“QuadWorks is excited about this year's lineup and the diversity it is going to bring,” said Devanshi Patel, a senior from Charlotte, North Carolina, who serves as president of QuadWorks. “Our headliners include both household and up-and-coming names. We look forward to seeing the community come out and enjoy our annual event.”
MKTO is a pop/hip hop duo consisting of Malcolm Kelley and Tony Oller, who met while filming the Nickelodeon television series “Gigantic” in 2010. Their debut single, “Thank You,” was released on Jan. 15, 2013, and was followed by hits “Classic,” “God Only Knows,” “American Dream” and “Bad Girls.” “Classic” peaked at No. 18 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and the music video has over 50 million views on YouTube.
Jon Bellion is a singer, songwriter, producer and rapper from Long Island, New York. He has released four mixtapes and has written, produced and been featured on tracks by artists such as Jason Derulo, Zedd and B.o.B. In 2013, he wrote the chorus to “The Monster” by Eminem featuring Rihanna, which won a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.
Elephante is a producer and DJ based in Los Angeles, California. A Harvard graduate, classically trained pianist and self-taught guitarist, he began his career as a singer-songwriter before falling in love with electronic music. He is known for his remixes of songs such as Clean Bandit's “Rather Be,” Calvin Harris' “Summer,” Lorde's “Team” and Katy Perry's “Dark Horse.”
DNK. is a Nashville-based pop/rap duo consisting of Kayla Fisher and David Davis. During their time in Belmont University's nationally renowned music program, they trained in various styles and experimented with their artistry. They were signed to the fastest growing international music company, Kobalt Music, and have a handful of songs recorded with respected producers ranging from Aaron Sprinkle (One Republic, Anberlin, Eisley) to RedOne (Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj).
Additional bands performing at Bearstock will include Electric Suns, Sam Burchfield, Good Night Alive, Savannah Alday and Wiley from Atlanta.
“We are really excited about the bands that have been selected this year. We are looking forward to a great event and hope a lot of people come out,” said Andy Herink, a junior from Macon, who serves as co-chair of the Mercer Live committee of QuadWorks that plans Bearstock each year.
