None of the current members of Ladies First, IU’s only all-women a cappella group, have competed in the Varsity Vocals International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella before.
The 11 singers will be performing in the ICCA Midwest Quarterfinal at 7 p.m. Jan. 30, at the IU Auditorium. Their competition for one of the two groups who will move on to semifinals in April includes 6 groups from Notre Dame, Ball State and Miami University, as well as IU’s own Hooshir and Crimson Cadence.
“We all wanted to do it, it’s a lot of fun,” Ladies First music director Ashley Kozanda said. “It’s cool to see what other groups are performing and how they run their set. We just want to go out there and have fun and see what happens.”
The website calls the competition “real-life ‘Pitch Perfect’”. It usually draws about 250 groups from all around the world each year, Varsity Vocals Midwest coordinator Leah Alrutz said.
There is no cash prize for the winner, but the groups will be vying for the prestigious Gooding Cup. The Cup was designed and hand-crafted by the maker of the Grammy Awards and is named for the former owners of Varsity Vocals.
“I think it takes a lot of talent to be able to sing without instruments,” Alrutz said. “It brings your group close together, and it’s just a unique, fun way of singing.”
It takes a little more than just singing to make it in the ICCA’s, Kozanda said. Sound always comes first, but each group has to be visually interesting to move forward, with choreography and formation changes a nd, of course, costumes, she said.
Ladies First will be performing “Love Me Like You Do,” by Ellie Goulding, “The Chain,” by Ingrid Michaelson and “Use Somebody,” by Kings of Leon. Each song was arranged for a cappella by previous or current members of Ladies First.
“We’re pretty confident with our sound,” Kozanda said. “We’ve worked really hard, and we sang these songs last semester too. We’ve put in a lot of rehearsal time and a lot of hard work into the details of the songs.”
The group practices at least three days per week, not including local gigs or special events. Their two main shows are a fall show and a spring show, Kozanda said. The spring show will happen in April.
Kozanda said what she enjoys about Ladies First is how much talent all of the girls have. Each year, their sound changes as old members graduate and new members join, and each time is a new opportunity to grow musically, she said.
“You’re taking music that has so many different instruments and a bass line and drums and it all has to come from your voice,” Kozanda said. “Trying to imitate those sounds and making it your own is challenging, but it’s so rewarding.”
