 "Photo: Courtesy of Jet Phynx")
When he borrowed his neighbor's turntables and started charging $35 to perform at house parties, DJ Joey Zahn had no idea he was beginning a career that would take him all the way to Las Vegas and MTV's Video Music Awards.
Zahn, a Newark local, was performing with up-and-coming rap artist Jet Phynx at Shaggy's on Main Street when club promoter Zac Shaheen approached them with the opportunity.
"The club promoters were there and they liked our act and they decided to book us for that evening," Zahn says.
That evening was the 2007 VMA Awards, presented by MTV on Sept. 9 in Las Vegas at the Palms Hotel and Casino, but Zahn says his real opportunity for the limelight came after the show and a little farther down the strip, at an exclusive after-party held at hotel and casino Circus Circus, in the club Luna y Sol, where he DJed alongside Jet Phynx.
Shaheen has been promoting clubs in Philadelphia for a while, but when the opportunity to throw a party after the VMAs in Las Vegas came along, he jumped for it.
"I wanted to wait a few more years before we did something that big but it just kind of happened," Shaheen says.
Promotions were done on Web sites such as Webtix.net, Myspace, and EBay. When Shaheen got to Vegas he handed out flyers and met with as many people as he could. He says most of the tickets were sold at the door of the event.
Anna Gesterak, a junior at the university, was one of the 20 people from the area that got the opportunity to attend. She says the party was worth the trip to Las Vegas.
"Why not go?" Gesterak says. "I just turned 21 over the summer and it was a great opportunity."
The promoters were adamant about getting new talent onto the stage of their party, Shaheen says. When he saw Zahn, aka DJ Z, and Jet Phynx, he knew he had to book them, and he says it couldn't have turned out any better.
"There are people I know who are local and have great talent that aren't recognized," Shaheen says. "Some of these other artists have millions of albums sold and its like, the other guy is so much better. It was an opportunity for myself and our performers to get ahead."
Jet says he learned a lot from his experience at the VMAs.
"My whole feel with my music since I've been back has been more of a main-stream goal," Jet says. "Before, I really didn't care if I made it or not. Now I got a little taste of the limelight, feeling like a superstar and being around that atmosphere. It made me want it a little more and I'm starting to appreciate how good music is right now."
Since he has been back to his hometown in Newark, Jet says he has many opportunities to further his career. Right now, he says he has several deals he is considering, including offers from labels Bad Boy Records and Warner Brothers.
"It's opened up a lot of doors," he says. "Right now a lot of things are on the table and I'm choosing wisely what my next step will be."
Going from clubs in Delaware to casinos in Vegas was also a big leap for Zahn, who is used to performing in bars around the area.
"You have Delaware which is the tiniest state and then you have Vegas which is sin city," he says. "It's known for all the glamour and everything. It felt like you're somebody out there."
Among the celebrities to show at Luna y Sol were Don Vito from MTV's "Jackass," who hosted the event, Christina Dolce and Kimmie Karma.
"We did hang out with Don Vito," Gesterak says. "I don't know if you want to consider him a famous celebrity, but he was interesting."
Phynx says he got the chance to hang out with several different performers and celebrities, including Sean Kingston, who gave him tips on the music industry. He says he also enjoyed several performances from the show.
"I really liked Nicole, the girl from the Pussycat Dolls, and Lil' Wayne," he says. "I liked 50 Cent. His performance was pretty cool. Chris Brown really killed it, and Britney Spears was definitely something to laugh about."
Part way through the night, Zahn says he almost couldn't finish his own performance.
"I lost my voice at around 2:30 a.m. and the other DJ, DJ Sober, had to relieve me a little bit so I could get my voice back and I closed out the show," he says.
Zahn says he is looking forward to being able to put this event on his resumé because it will give him a more recognizable name in the business.
"Whenever I need to show off a resumé for a DJ event, people will take a look and say, 'He DJed in Vegas; he must be somebody,' " he says.
Seeing the awards live was very different from watching them on TV, Jet says. It has driven his desire to go back to the awards next year, where he says he is hoping he will be onstage winning an award.
"Oh God, I can only imagine next year," he says. "I want to be up on that stage and accept the Best New Artist award. That's one of my goals."
Follow us on Twitter
Subscribe to our feed
Contact us through email
Be the first to comment on this article!