An emerging powerhouse in modern electronic music, “6arelyhuman,” aka Toby Hamilton, is at the forefront of revitalizing the y2k emo scene with an edgy digital twist. Currently experiencing the rush of multiple viral hits, the start of 2024 has seen Toby grace Billboard Magazine’s first cover of the year alongside collaborative peer Odetari, together branded as pioneers in the future of dance music. Upcoming releases — taking inspiration from the works of prominent 2000’s icons including Kesha, Skrillex, and Lady Gaga — promise to further solidify his prominence in the scene, and continue to captivate the millions of fans drawn not only to his music, but his flashy persona and unapologetic self,

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Martina Sorbara, better known as Dragonette, has lived multiple musical lifetimes over the past 15 years. A Juno Award-winning artist and sought-after songwriter, she’s scored chart-topping hits, collaborated with the world’s biggest DJs, and released four albums. Along the way, Dragonette has headlined shows across the globe; supported the likes of Duran Duran, Ke$ha, Major Lazer, and Miike Snow; and played to thousands of fans at Coachella, Electric Daisy Carnival, Glastonbury, and Lollapalooza.

While Dragonette’s evolving sound lands delectably in between pop, new wave, and dance, Sorbara was raised with very different musical influences. “My past is so the opposite of pop music,” the Toronto-based artist recalls. “Until I was 19 or 20, I largely listened to folk and jazz. Between my hippie school and hippie parents, I thought that pop music had no merit. I had no real exposure to it. And so I ignored it because I thought it was music for other people.” After she left high school, all of that changed. “Once I grew up a little and started listening to music outside of my bubble, I realized that all the music I liked was actually pop. It was just decorated differently.”

Sorbara began her musical career as a singer-songwriter before establishing herself as Dragonette. Trading out her acoustic guitar for a synth, she released a self-titled EP in 2005. Those formative recordings (including Dragonette’s cheeky first single “I Get Around”) put Sorbara’s electropop outfit on the map and earned them a supporting slot at a New Order concert—it was their second show, ever.

They released their debut album, Galore, in 2007, which earned them a nomination for New Group of the Year at the Junos. Those early days were a heady and transformative time for Sorbara—both musically and personally. She was still defining herself as a musician; trying to find the balance between her former, singer-songwriter self, and her new role as the frontwoman of an edgy pop band.

“I liked the idea of dressing up and putting on heels when I went on stage because it was the antithesis of how I had been performing until then,” Sorbara recalls. “At the beginning, I jumped really far in that direction, but it wasn’t me. I was just exploring. And then Dragonette sort of settled into itself. I realized that I needed to dance and have fun—I couldn’t do that while trying to balance in high heels. I didn’t need to make a persona. I just needed to be myself.”

 Skillfully blending rock’n’roll sensibilities with slickly-crafted hooks, danceable beats, and sultry vocals, 2009’s Fixin to Thrill reflected Sorbara’s newfound confidence. Dragonette scored its first Canadian Top 40 hit with “Pick Up the Phone” and garnered a Juno nod for Best Dance Album. The band repeated that success with 2012’s Bodyparts, which notched another Juno nomination, landed in the Billboard Dance chart’s Top 20, and featured the exuberant, Canadian Top 40 hit “Let it Go.”

Sorbara was also enjoying the thrill of collaborating with others. Early on, she recorded with the legendary electronic duo Basement Jaxx and co-wrote with pop icon Cyndi Lauper. As Dragonette’s profile rose, Sorbara became an in-demand vocalist and songwriter—particularly in the electronic sphere, where she worked with the likes of Kaskade, Don Diablo, and, most famously, Martin Solveig. The French DJ partnered with Sorbara on “Boys & Girls,” “Big in Japan,” and the massively popular 2010 hit, “Hello.” The single topped pop charts across Europe, hit No.1 on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs, earned a Platinum certification in the US, and won the Juno for Dance Recording of the Year.

As the decade turned, Sorbara continued that momentum, writing and recording alongside Mike Mago, Pretty Sister, and Galantis, with whom she released 2015’s “Peanut Butter Jelly”—a Top 10 hit across Europe, the UK, and Australia. More recently, she co-wrote and performed “Toyko Nights” with Digital Farm Animals and Shaun Frank, while in 2021, she lent her vocals to Gianni Kosta’s effervescent “Phantom.”

Sorbara’s songwriting also extends beyond the electronic realm. As a longtime priority writer with Sony/ATV publishing, she regularly works with acts under UMG, Warner Music, and Syco, among others, while her credits include songs for the multi-platinum-selling country artist Keith Urban, British pop star Nicola Roberts, plus Carly Rae Jepsen with The Knocks.

Those collaborative experiences strongly influenced Sorbara’s approach to Dragonette’s fourth album, 2016’s Royal Blues. Striking a more personal and reflective tone than her previous releases, Sorbara crafted tracks like “Body 2 Body” and “Let the Night Fall” with a diverse collection of writers and producers, including the GRAMMY® and Academy Award-winning songwriter Anthony Rossomando (Lady Gaga, Ellie Goulding); Yonatan “xSDTRK” Ayal (Jessie J, Chloe x Halle); Matt Schwartz (YUNGBLUD, Massive Attack); and Lowell (Hailee Steinfeld, Tate McRae).

Since then, Sorbara has entered a new chapter in her life, taking on her most important role yet—that of a mother. These days, life is all about letting go of expectations around Dragonette and, instead, giving in to whatever feels—and sounds—good. “I just want to keep allowing these tectonic shifts to happen, instead of trying to paint the same picture,” she explains.

Fresh off the heels of her acclaimed new album Twennies, Sorbara is looking forward with more wisdom, experience and confidence than ever before. With Twennies, she chose one creative partner for the entire project—the Los Angeles-based producer Dan Farber (Dizzee Rascal, Lizzo). The two artists spent several weeks together holed up Sorbara’s Toronto studio, where they wrote the majority of the record. “I’ve never concentrated on working on an album like that; just living and breathing this one thing,” she shares.

Twennies marks a full-circle moment for Sorbara. “It’s a true hybrid of my original influences as a child and what I’ve learned along the way. It feels so representative of my musical journey.” She adds, “It’s my favorite thing I’ve ever done. I’m so proud of it.”

 

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Born & raised in Indiana, Lauren Sanderson stumbled into her career after failing to get into college. Not knowing what her next steps should be, Lauren did a Ted Talk at the age of 18 where she realized her love for inspiring others and being on stage. Lauren started making music in her closet and while documenting every step of the way, cultivated a cult following and moved to Los Angeles in 2018. Since then, she has achieved over 200 million streams as an artist & more recently, a songwriter for other artists as well. Lauren opened for Chase Atlanta & FINNEAS in 2019, released her debut album “Midwest Kids Can Make It Big,” in 2020 & her sophomore album “Death of a Fantasy” in 2022, following her viral TikTok banger, “THERAPY!” and shortly after, her massively successful collaboration with GFLIP called “GAY 4 ME”. In 2023, Sanderson went on a major US headline tour as well as her first international EU/UK headline tour. She also received her first credit as a songwriter on JOJI’s platinum album “Smithereens”. Sanderson is looking to release her 3rd album in 2024.

 

 

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Coco & Breezy are Producers & DJs and the fiercely stylish twins behind their multifaceted brand. Their musical journey was influenced by their family and grew into a deep passion for dance music culture. Post moving to New York to launch their eyewear company, C&B submerged themselves into changing the face of dance music and what it means to be a technically accomplished Afro-Latina women DJs and producers.

 

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A Chicagoland native, Darryl’s love for music developed in the early 1990s. At the age of 12, Darryl was already DJing his school’s events and also putting together music and beats for his dance group, House Arrest II in Raleigh, NC. In 2002, Darryl joined the ballroom scene, starting in the House of Prodigy, helped Create the house of Herrera moving foward to Mugler, to putting together a rock socking Midwest Chapter of The House of Comme des Garçons, ruling the runway, coast to coast.

Today, Darryl is known as Icon Darryl Garçon, known internationally for his craft in music, including productions, beat creation, mixes, etc. Darryl also has his own mobile Dj services for Weddings, Corporate Events, Baby Showers, Home Events, etc…

Darryl Garçon can be heard playing throughout Chicagoland clubs such as Progress Bar, Jeffery Pub, Fantasy, Krave, Nocturne, and The Promotory.

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Taking inspiration both from classic American folk music and cowboy standards, Olivia Love writes music as a vehicle for vulnerability, and reflections on queer love, loss, and healing.

Stephanie and Lindsey are the DJ Duo for Do Not Disturb, representing the LGBTQ+ community. They have been incredibly passionate about music for years, so much so that they taught themselves how to DJ during the pandemic and pursued their first set of dreams by playing at house parties.

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August Hotel is:
Eva Padilla – vocals
Landon Hegedus – keyboards/saxophone
Ryan Lammers – guitar
Dean Sinclair – drums
Cale Singleton – bass

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