The first Dazed 100 USA, a definitive list of the next generation driving youth culture forward in 2024 and beyond, is out now. It includes trailblazing creatives from across New York, California, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Virginia, North Carolina and Ohio, and spans disciplines – including fashion, beauty, art, photography, music, entertainment, activism, and sports. To celebrate a decade of the Dazed 100, and our first-ever USA list (brought to you by New Balance), we asked six of the 2024 Dazed USA changemakers about their inspiration, how they stay grounded, and what their ‘weird’ creative habits are. 

Ahead, get to know 16-year-old New Balance athlete Quincy Wilson, photographer and DJ Giovanni Mourin, filmmaker Jeannie Sui Wonders, chef Magdalena O'Neal, 22-year-old recording artist Maleigh Zan, and filmmaker Sean Wang. You can check out the full 2024 Dazed 100 USA list here. 

Do you ever feel like you’re missing out on anything?

Quincy Wilson: There are experiences I've probably missed out on. But, at the end of the day, I know what I want to do. Winning gold is way more fun than going to a party. That gold medal is going to last forever.

What keeps you grounded?

Jeannie Sui Wonders: What keeps me grounded is my family and taking a moment before set each morning. Remembering what I’m doing this for and the energy I want to bring on set.

What do you love about what you do?

Sean Wang: I love that filmmaking is a time capsule of my own life. Every film I’ve made, every project I’ve done, from beginning to end, when I look back at those projects, it’s something I tried hard to make and got to share with people, but I also get to chart who I was and how I was feeling. It’s expression, it’s a diary, its growth.

Where do you get your inspiration from? 

​​Maleigh Zan: Atlanta has definitely influenced everything I know about music. A good amount of hip-hop legends have come from Atlanta, so I’ve had a lot of information to soak up living there, and that’s where I get my inspiration from.

What do you do when things get crazy?

Giovanni Mourin: I like to escape and go on a trip somewhere where I don't have to think about what’s happening back home and just focus on my camera. What’s in front of me and what can be in front of me. My future.

Do you have any ‘weird’ creative habits?

Magdalena O'Neal: I’m not a visual artist, but I draw my dishes in my journal before I make them. It’s the food version of a stick figure. It’s a little circle then I’ll put a line to it, and I’m like, ‘this is going to be a grape,’ and then a bigger circle with ‘this is a piece of steak’. That’s how I get it out of my head and onto the plate, or paper, first.

New Balance Made U.S. footwear contains a domestic value of 70% or more. Made in USA makes up a limited portion of New Balance’s US sales. 

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