Singer Joslyn, known to her family as Joslyn Petty, who has been heard worldwide and nominated for a Grammy Award for her work with Kaskade, said she is excited to perform a solo show in her hometown, Salt Lake City.
"I'm looking forward to introducing myself to audiences here," Joslyn said in an interview with the Deseret Morning News. "It's funny when I walk into a clothing store and I hear the Kaskade song. It always takes a moment for me to recognize that it's me singing. And no one knows it's me. So, it will be nice to introduce myself to people here."
Joslyn was the seventh out of eight children in a musical family. Her father was a jazz pianist and her mother a singer. Her sister is an opera singer, and her brother is a radio DJ. The family lived in Washington, D.C., before Joslyn moved back to Utah a few years ago.
"I was always listening to old-school rhythm & blues," she said. "Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight were my idols. I liked the fact that they also had that jazzy feel in some of their songs. And they led me to jazz singers such as Sade."
In D.C., Joslyn wanted to sing. So, she pursued that talent and then moved back to Utah to continue her studies.
"My voice teacher here told me that I had the voice that could do it," Joslyn said. "It was nice to hear someone other than my friends and family say that. Because it gave me the spark to try to do this seriously."
Joslyn worked as a receptionist at a recording studio and was pulled into sessions to sing backup.
"I was lucky to have met so many people doing that," she said. "And that led me to other recording opportunities."
It was during those sessions that she met Craig Poole and Rob Wannamker, who were in the process of writing and producing dance-remixes of Kaskade's "What I Say," "It's You, It's Me" and "Sweet Love." The Kaskade album featuring Joslyn's hit "Everything" hit No. 1 on Billboard's Club Play chart.
Through those songs, her voice has been heard all over the world, especially in the European dance clubs.
In 2005, Joslyn released her first self-titled CD that featured original songs that showed her love for R&B. Last year, she released her second CD "On the Off Time."
"The new CD was my first real opportunity to find my own voice," she said. "And doing performances like the one coming up will be another way to let people see what I'm about."
Joslyn's band features her bassist/musical director and husband Craig Poole, drummer Joel Stevenette, keyboardist Melanie Shore, guitarist Scott Miller and saxophonist David Halliday. The backup singers are Melissa Petty and Crysta Poloa.
If you go . . .
What: Joslyn
Where: Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, 138 W. 300 South
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
How much: $12
Phone: 355-2787, 888-451-2787
Web: www.arttix.org
E-mail: scott@desnews.com