CAB proudly presents: jason derülo

Who hasn't heard the catchy pop single, "In My Head?"  The answer:  not many, and on May 6th UW-La Crosse's Recreational Eagle Center will be transformed into a concert venue for the song's renowned artist, Jason DeRülo!

Some would call DeRülo (born Jason Joel Desrouleaux) a rising star, but one could argue that he has already reached a level of success that most could never dream of.  DeRülo has been involved with the music industry since he was sixteen, which is one of the facts about DeRülo that Ryan Lepak, the Events Coordinator for CAB, finds most interesting.  "He's been writing music for many popular artists already," said Lepak.

Those artists include the famed pop legend, Sean Combs (aka Diddy), Danity Kane and Lil Wayne, among others.  Indeed, it seems that music was destined to be a major part of DeRülo's life.  "[He's] been writing music since he was about seven years old," said Lepak.

In fact, during a 2009 interview with Billboard.com, DeRülo recalled that as a child, he told his mother that he was "going to be better than Michael Jackson."

Rising higher than the King of Pop may seem a lofty goal to some, but DeRülo is well on his way to becoming a household name and a pop icon.  Jason had always aspired to not only write music, but also to present his work to the world as a solo artist. In August of 2009, DeRülo's hit single, "Whatcha Say," was released and quickly climbed the Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching the coveted number one spot after only a few weeks.  Not long after the success of his first single, DeRülo released his second memorable hit, "In My Head."  The song rose quickly like its predecessor, and peaked at number five on the Hot 100 chart.  His self-titled debut album was released on March 2nd, 2010, and DeRülo promoted his album as an opening act for Lady Gaga's The Monster Ball Tour.  

The Campus Activities Board (CAB) puts a great deal of time and effort into bringing artists to UW-L to perform.  CAB members used feedback from previous concerts to help form a list of possible acts for this year.  Jason DeRülo's name was at the top of their list, but those that worked on coordinating the event had realistic expectations about bringing in an artist of his celebrity and caliber.  "You usually have about a ten percent chance of getting [the artist]," said Lepak when asked about the process of booking major acts like Jason DeRülo.  To be sure, with an upcoming tour to the UK and his second album in the works, DeRülo was originally unavailable; however, an unexpected opening in his schedule and quick action on the part of CAB made his upcoming performance at UW-L a reality.

Lepak described CAB members as "ecstatic" about this event.  Fliers promoting the concert can already be seen around campus, and CAB has also created a Facebook event that students can respond to.  As word of mouth spreads and students are beginning to learn of the event, an excited buzz is forming on campus that will be sure to mean a large student turnout for the concert. Z93, a local radio station with a large following, will be helping to promote the concert to the general public, and CAB hopes for a sold out show, so be sure to get your ticket early!

The concert will be held at the Recreational Eagle Center on May 6th, and tickets will go on sale at the ticket office in Cartwright Mar. 7.  Students will be able to use their UW-L ID to purchase their own ticket at a discounted rate.  Sales will open to the general public the following day.  

Students can expect a memorable concert, and if you are one of those that haven't heard DeRülo's hit, "In My Head," give it a listen, or better yet, come to the show on May 6th.  You'll be glad you did!