MoPOP's SOUND OFF! Announces 2023 Artists and Music Showcases

Seattle nonprofit Museum of Pop Culture has announced the participants in its 22nd annual 21-and-under music showcase, Sound Off! This year's three live showcases raises the bar for an all-ages show with a first-class experience at MoPOP for performers and audience alike. Attendees get the unique opportunity to enjoy these young artists' natural creative gifts while supporting their personal and professional development.

The 2023 showcases feature twelve artists from around Bonney Lake, Federal Way, Kirkland, Redmond, Renton, Seattle, Shoreline, Snohomish, and Tukwila, WA as well as Eugene, OR, to be held in-person in the Sky Church venue inside MoPOP. The events are on February 25, March 4, and March 11 (doors at 7:00pm/shows at 8:00pm) with a suggested adult donation of $25 and a suggested youth donation of $5. Reserve your tickets now at MoPOP.org/sound-off.

Sound Off! supports the all-ages music scene by giving participants year-round professional mentoring to guide them through the ins and outs of the industry, gathering insider knowledge, valuable community contacts, and life-changing experience as they gear up to show the world exactly what they have to say. And they unleash it all with a fully realized live performance at a world-class venue, complete with light show, engineers, and hordes of screaming fans.

"I'm excited to see all of these artists perform in Sky Church, working with them beyond the stage to establish goals, and watching them grow throughout the calendar year," said Jordan Leonard, MoPOP's Youth and Artist Development Programs Producer. "The Sound Off! showcases serve as an amazing launchpad for these artists to introduce themselves to a broader music community, and we are intentional in creating a space where the cohort gets an opportunity to connect with a welcoming music scene eager to build together."

MEET THE 2023 ARTISTS

MidPak

Seattle, WA

MidPak is a psych-funk trip consisting of Sam Holman on bass, Ben Kinneg on drums, and Nik Jordan on guitar. The group has been playing all over Seattle with one intention: bring the juice.

Podesta

Eugene, OR

Podesta is 21-year-old vocalist, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Alex Podesta. In June 2022, he released his debut album Until Something Changes written, performed, recorded, and produced by himself on his laptop while attending the University of Oregon. The album is a densely layered, orchestral collection of singer-songwriter based indie rock influenced by artists from various other genres, including Sigur Ros, My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, and more.

Zari Alexandria

Federal Way, WA

Zari Alexandria is a 19-year-old singer-songwriter from Federal Way, WA. After performing in many choirs and diving into the musical theater field, she decided to try songwriting to further challenge her artistic abilities. Zari describes her sound as "pop with a twist" as she combines multiple genres and storytelling elements in her production and lyrics. Some of her musical influences include Adam Melchor, Lizzy McAlpine, and The Weekend. Zari's latest EP, Congratulations, I'm Angry, demonstrates a pop project that mixes in R&B, indie, and 80s dance music with her vivid imaginative songwriting.

Wyatt Silva

Seattle, WA

Wyatt Silva is a 16-year-old multi-instrumentalist singer/songwriter who wrote, recorded, and mixed his debut album Aurora in his basement in the Fall of 2021 (he recorded his drum parts at Soundhouse with recording engineer Mike Sebring). Wyatt plays all the instruments on the record. He is influenced by classic rock and enjoys referring to himself in the third person. (Hi Wyatt!)

Stargazy Pie

Bonney Lake, WA

Their live shows are full of youthful energy and no two set-lists are ever the same. Butterfly Hand Grenade, the debut album of Stargazy Pie, is a compelling mix of hard rock, pop, and bittersweet love songs, creating a vivid narrative of heartache, hope, and resolution. Stargazy Pie just released their single Angel in Summer of 2022. Currently, Stargazy Pie is working on new material that they are excited to share soon!.

Fight Milk

Redmond, WA

Fight Milk is the creative laboratory for multimedia artist and musician Jackson Leavitt. An ever-evolving sound and vision experience, Fight Milk shows entertain audiences through synchronized new wave and Zolo-inspired songs and original videos. The core of Fight Milk's repertoire - the dynamic blend of synths, drums, bass, and guitar - are all recorded by Jackson, and he's taken it to venues around Seattle, Tacoma, L.A., and Cleveland.

Cherry Ferrari

Kirkland, WA

Two teenagers, Emma Wang and Oliver Crosby, making their way through life with music. From writing on the bedroom floor and producing in the home studio to performing in venues like Barboza & The Crocodile. Cherry Ferrari captures the youthful energy of today, taking inspiration from disco funk greats and today's pop to make retro-futurism.

Sadie Hale

Kirkland, WA

Sadie Hale is a singer/songwriter from Kirkland, WA. Her music is confessional and lyrically complex, taking inspiration from country, folk, and americana to tell stories about the world and the people who occupy it.

KING ZAAE

Renton, WA

KING ZAAE is a 17-year-old Seattle-based artist who makes angsty, vulnerable music taking from variety of music genres. Some of his musical influences are funk-pop, pop-punk, rap, hyper-pop, Midwest emo and R&B. Zaae started making music early 2018, with influences from juice wrld, xxtentacion, and hi-hop at the time. His early mixtapes like I Hate This Town and debut album Being Sad is a Cliché were made on his iPhone. He's currently working on his new album soon dating to release.

Pilot Seat

Shoreline, WA

Pilot Seat is a group of three friends with a shared passion fusing together indie/alternative pop and psychedelic rock to create a bright, clean, melodic yet raw sound. Pilot Seat has been playing together since 2021 with the goal of releasing an album, having people dig their material and growing a larger audience, and have been accumulating a strong fanbase playing shows throughout the greater Seattle area.

defsharp

Tukwila, WA

defsharp (they/them) is an indie-electronic artist from Tukwila, Washington who has been writing and producing their own music since 2014. In 2021, they took a step into a more indie-rock focused direction, and since then, they've released two projects in that vein. Touching on themes of depression, angst, and growing up, they utilize music as a means to vent and vocalize their thoughts.

lavenderhayez

Snohomish, WA

lavenderhayez is an independent artist based in Seattle, WA. Meghan Hayes began releasing music under her own name in 2021 and transitioned into lavenderhayez in 2023. Her music is an emotional rollercoaster that transcends through many genres, from pop, indie, and folk, taking from their own perspective and challenges through life.