By the looks of Friday night’s OSHOW turnout, Hopkins's already booming a cappella scene will continue to thrive this coming year. Every seat in Shriver Hall was occupied by the event’s eight o’clock start, balcony seating was cramped and dozens of guests willingly stood through the two-hour showcase. Suffice it to say, this OSHOW lineup merited the full house.
Though the annual a cappella event primarily targets freshmen new to Hopkins’s performing arts outlets, attendees spanned every class. Indeed, encouraging the JHU2018 hashtag had little effect on much of the crowd.
The Buttered Nibblets opened with an interactive improv stint, sending the audience into fits of laughter. Leave it to the Nibblets to somehow intertwine a storyline featuring grandma at the beach, monitored urination and potato factory dissent.
Humming Jay had the privilege of heading the night’s a cappella line-up. The freshly warmed-up crowed erupted when the Korean-interested group reached Eminem’s solo in “Love the Way You Lie,” and they savored the lullaby that followed.
Kranti, a South Asian special interest group, took the stage next. The ladies in Shriver couldn’t resist squealing and hooting for bassist junior Leon Santhakumar, who performed Enrique Iglasias’ “Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You).” The incredibly talented senior Ssandya Subramanian raised the bar even higher with her unparalleled, unique sound.
The painfully sexy Mental Notes shied away from traditional covers, opting to instead reinvent Ke$ha’s radio hit, “Timber.” In the Mental Notes rewrite, the subject cleverly shifts to “Tinder,” an app that allows users to match, chat and hopefully meet other people. The sole comedy a cappella group at Hopkins changed Ke$ha’s lyrics to “It’s going down, I’m bored on Tinder. I just got dumped. I need a match” and “I just swiped right, it was Ron Daniels...” Needless to say, the college-appropriate alterations struck a chord with the crowd’s regular app users.
Malachy Duffy ended the set with “She’s Too Good for Everyone,” which describes the woes of worshipping a ridiculously attractive but heartless woman. Poor Duffy sacrificed his dignity waiting for a shot at love, even stooping so low as to move the ruthless girl into another man’s house.
The Chinese pop singers of Music Dynasty delivered two very well-assembled pieces, including “Be What You Want to Be” by Darin Zanyar.
The Sirens followed Music Dynasty’s uplifting song with a positive piece of their own, as Sam Carter performed Sara Bareilles’s “Brave.” But the mood quickly shifted from sweet to sexy when the all-female Sirens busted out Usher’s “Yeah.” The audience went wild for senior Jordan Gray’s sassy, confident attitude.
Adoremus, a Christian a cappella group, performed two passionate and sincere pieces before the Vocal Chords ran into the spotlight. With their huge fan base in tow, sophomore Alexia Huggins and junior Nick Uebele wowed listeners with Rihanna’s “What Now.” Higgins’s huge voice was rivaled by crowd favorite Rudy Fernandez during his impeccable cover of “Lucky” by Marc Broussard. The Vocal Chords continue to impress.
Jewish group Ketzev combined American and Israeli pop songs. Junior Michael Stewart was particularly impressive with his take on Passenger’s “Let Her Go.”
The AllNighters, an entirely male group, exceeded their fans’ consistently high expectations. Sophomore Andy Kim (sounding divine as usual) gave a goosebump-inducing cover of “Say Something” by A Great Big World. Despite Kim’s prowess, “performance of the night” goes to sophomore Brad Bowers. His delivery of Idina Menzel’s “Let it Go” (as seen in the Disney movie Frozen) included full choreography, a vest change and perfect harmony. Bowers deservingly received the only standing ovation of the evening.
The Octopodes closed OSHOW with two of their favorites: “Runaway Baby” by Bruno Mars and “Wh0 You Are” by Jessie J. All interested singers are encouraged to audition for groups over the next few days. Stakes are high, and the Hopkins community eagerly anticipates the unveiling of this season’s newest a cappella powerhouses.
