Grammy-winning pop artist Daya will headline PNW’s fourth annual Roaring Loud event. 

Known for hits like “Sit Still, Look Pretty”, “Hide Away” and her collaboration with the electronic duo, The Chainsmokers, in “Don’t Let Me Down”, Daya plans to make her way to the Hammond campus on April 25. She was chosen to perform based on student feedback.

“We put out a survey and asked [students] what genre of music they wanted to hear,” said Jinai Gordon, director of Student Life. “Based on that, we went to different companies and asked them what we were able to afford based on our price range and availability.” 

After being sent a list of more than 100 potential artists, Student Life was tasked with sorting through each one to determine which musical acts best suited the PNW image. Several rounds of surveys later, the list went from the top 30 to the top 10, and finally, students got to vote on the top five. Daya earned a spot on the final survey alongside other artists like Jesse McCartney and the group Clean Bandit. 

“It was a really close call with some of these artists,” said Gordon. “All of the artists that were in the top five had over 100 votes … and about 500 people voted. So, it was really tough.” 

For a few students, the reaction to Daya headlining was welcoming. 

“I do listen to her sometimes,” said Alex Cotham, a sophomore Mechanical Engineering major. “I know most of her popular songs, and even though I mainly listen to other artists, she is more of a guilty pleasure kind of music choice of mine…I think she will do pretty well putting on a show.” 

But other students questioned the choice.

“I honestly had no idea who she was until I was reminded of some of her most popular songs,” said Kevin Gilkey, a sophomore Psychology major. “But I think it’ll be cool to go – probably better than last year. Last year we had Yung Gravy, and it was horrible.” 

Some students just look forward to the event to spend a fun night out of the classroom. 

“I’m looking forward to the overall environment of this year’s event,” said Kolten Becker, a senior Electrical Engineering student. “I enjoy getting to spend time with friends outside of the classroom, too.” 

Free tickets to the event are going fast.

“This is the fastest-selling show we have had since starting Roaring Load,” said Gordon, “I think within the first week, compared to last year, I want to say ticket sign-ups have doubled. So, it was pretty cool to see and the numbers keep growing. I think we are going to have a really good turnout.” q