Joshua Murphy, known as The Kaleidoscope Kid, opened up the festival as the first act to perform. The Arizona native indie artist has earned more than a million streams and recently released his single Heads Or Tails on Feb. 20.

For Murphy, the performance marked his first appearance at the Phoenix festival and an opportunity to connect with a new audience. 

“Our goal is to just really make everybody feel like they’re in the rehearsal room with us, and they’re all our friends,” he said.

Murphy, who performs under the name The Kaleidoscope Kid, said the name reflects the ever-changing nature of his music.

 “When people ask me about the name 'The Kaleidoscope Kid,' you know a kaleidoscope is always changing every time you look at it,” he said.

On stage, Murphy is joined by Ethan Baxley, who plays the drums and cymbals, and Cristian Ritchie, who plays guitar.

The 33-year-old artist grew up in Phoenix and has lived all throughout Arizona, drawing inspiration from life in the state. Murphy first picked up a guitar at age 21, but only months later he was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease. 

Doctors described the illness as causing “a third-degree burn throughout [his] entire mucus membrane,” making it extremely painful to eat, drink or even sing. 

“I would write and play and all of the pain that I was experiencing would fall away in this way that made me completely present,” he said.

During that period of illness, Murphy continued writing music despite his physical limitations. He said the experience deepened his relationship with songwriting. 

“Music has just been, in the same way that I think somebody gets into a relationship with a person, it’s like you do it because it’s a beautiful thing,” he said. “It brings you closer to God, love or whatever it is.”

Now, Murphy is releasing new music, including his upcoming album What's Next? 

He reflects the title as the constant momentum artists feel while creating. 

The first track Who Killed Superman was released on January 9th and after that there will be a new song released every two weeks all throughout 2026. 

He is also preparing another upcoming album titled “Gold Rush,” part of a larger catalog of his music. 

“I have two albums coming out this year and two albums coming out next year that are already written,” he said. “It’s kind of like looking back at an old photo book.” 

Murphy says that the songs that are going to be released this year are reflected on the positive and difficult life experiences. 

“I started to see life in all the negative and positive experiences as colors on the color palette,” Murphy said.

For The Kaleidoscope Kid, the future shines bright just like a kaleidoscope.