The Campus Activities Board (CAB) announced Wednesday that Ayokay, Jeremy Zucker, and Chelsea Cutler will share the spotlight at Boston College’s annual Modstock festival—the first time the concert will ever feature multiple artists.
Each year, CAB brings a new artist to campus to celebrate the last day of classes, which occurs May 2 this year. The concert runs from 5 to 7:30 p.m. in the Mod Lot. CAB will sell tickets on Friday and Saturday.
On Thursday, student bands will face off for the chance to open the festival at BC’s Best, an annual Arts Fest event that features the final rounds of Singer Songwriter and Battle of the Bands. Unit One, Word on the Street, and returning winners Shady Lady will compete for the honor this year.
Given the greater number of artists than in previous years, CAB has blocked out 30 minutes for the student performers and two hours for the three artists.
In early April, students speculated that A$AP Ferg would perform after a video of Derek Ali, the rapper’s sound mixer, referencing a performance at BC was uploaded to Barstool BC’s Instagram and Twitter accounts. CAB quickly confirmed the rapper would not be performing. It is likely that Ali was referencing Tufts University, as A$AP Ferg is set to perform at Tufts’ Spring Fling, an event similar to Modstock, on April 28.
Ayokay—whose real name is Alex O’Neill—began making music in high school alongside longtime friend Mike Temrowski, also known as Quinn XCII. The Michigan natives collaborated on “Kings of Summer” in 2016 before signing a deal with Columbia Records. Ayokay released his first EDM album, In the Shape of a Dream, in 2018.
Zucker, an indie electronic singer-songwriter and producer from New Jersey, released his music on his own until 2017, when “talk is overrated” launched him into the spotlight. During that period, he released three EPs: “Beach Island,” “Breathe,” and “Motions.”
Cutler began releasing covers in 2014 before releasing her first song, “Anything for You,” during her freshman year at Amherst College. Since then, Cutler has collaborated with artists like Kasbo and former Modstock performers Louis the Child.
All three artists, alongside Quinn XCII, work together as “the Mutual Friends” artist collective.
The three have collaborated in several combinations. Last year, Zucker and Cutler worked together on “better off”—a collaboration that grew out of several run-ins over the years, including signing with the same record label, and Zucker and Ayokay came together for “Stay With Me.” Akokay and Cutler have also worked together in the past, releasing “The Shine” in 2017.
Last year’s Modstock faced blowback from students and administrators after the invited artist, B.o.B, was found to have espoused anti-Semitic conspiracy theories in his songs. One song, “Flatline,” even attracted a response from the Anti-Defamation League.
More than 200 faculty members signed a letter expressing concern about CAB’s choice in artist over the anti-Semitic lyrics and other views for which the artist had publicly expressed support, including that the Earth is flat, the lunar landing was “staged,” the Sept. 11 attacks were an inside job, and the U.S. government is “cloning celebrities.”
Abby Hunt and Kaylie Ramirez contributed reporting to this article.
Featured Image by Keith Carroll / Heights Senior Staff
