24/08/2024
๐จ ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ญ๐๐๐๐ SmokeFest ๐ป๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐จ
We thank Grant Valeska for letting us get to know them a little better and letting us share more about them with the readers here on the page!
๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ ๐จ๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ญ. ๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ญ? ๐ต
I have always been a lover of music, for as long as I can remember. Music was my first true love and first escape from reality, a place I often like to venture away from, ha! Of course, as a gay man, my natural inclination was to be obsessed with women, more specifically the pop stars. Britney Spears was my gateway drug; I owe a lot of my aesthetics and love of pop music to her.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ ๐๐ง๐ซ๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ง ๐ญ๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฌ? ๐๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ ๐ ๐๐ง๐ซ๐ ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฒ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ? ๐ถ
As previously stated, I love pop music and everything that encompasses a classic pop star โ album concepts, choreography, music videos, and, most importantly, the live performances. I started creating tribute shows in Second Life around 2012, originally being a Britney tribute artist only but over the past few years Iโve expanded in to Lady Gaga and now debuting Beyonce right here at Smokefest. People ask me to do other artists often, and I have plans to do some other icons in the future, but I think itโs incredibly hard to keep peopleโs attention in Second Life unless you can create something that not only reflects the artistโs aesthetic but also keeps you entertained. Some artists create great vibes at a concert in real life but in Second Life where movement is more limited itโs difficult to give their essence to the level of reality I aspire to with each performance.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ซ ๐ฌ๐จ ๐๐๐ซ? ๐๐ง๐ฒ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐จ๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐๐ฒ? ๐คฉ
The biggest highlight for me has been crashing a region that was setup on a Linden Lab event sized server not once but twice. That was a big deal for me. It was the first time I felt like people were paying attention and taking me seriously. I work very hard on all my shows so when the crowds come out in such heavy support it was very humbling. When I started creating my shows over a decade ago most people clowned me but, over time, Iโve gained a reputation as one of the top tribute artists of Second Life. Itโs very rewarding to see how my hard work has paid off. No matter what anybody says, always pursue your passions and put your all into your craftโฆ if you donโt believe in it, no one else will!
๐๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐, ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ก๐จ๐๐๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ซ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฌ? ๐ผ
Fashion is my second love, without music and without fashion I think Iโd be wandering around aimlessly. I study fashion in the same way I study music, with pure admiration for the greats and the up and comers. I love how art, fashion, and music can be transformative in every way. Everything is referential but at the same time itโs possible to reinvent the wheel one hundred times with simple changes!
