Beth Wang’18 sat down with Wildcats President Samone Blair ’18 to talk about inspiration and Inspiration Night and all things in between.
What inspires you to sing? Do you have any favorite songs to sing as a group?
As the Wildcats is comprised of thirteen women with very different musical backgrounds, ranging from singing in the shower to singing in the Kennedy Center, we all have different personal motivations for singing. However, as a group we are inspired by our unofficial motto “Strong Women, Strong Voices” and strive to refine all-female a cappella, reflect the spirit of Princeton, and promote diversity and female empowerment. Our favorite song is “Angel Eyes” by Ella Fitzgerald. It is the first song a member sings when she enters the group and the last song she sings her senior year.
Just as how we are questioning how the digital can affect object art in a museum, does does the digital affect your art as an a cappella group? (i.e. sound recordings, videos)
We make a lot of use of the digital, often to record our performances at gigs and arches. We are also currently working on recording a new album to follow our cd from last year, The Purple Album, and planning to create our first music video soon.
What’s gained through the medium of digital?
While we are very fortunate to be able to tour in order to share our music beyond Princeton’s campus, the digital medium allows us to take our music further. One of our favorite moments of our tour to Lisbon, Portugal, was singing on national radio and reaching new ears outside the city. Aside from just allowing us to share our music, the digital also facilitates the cross-cultural integration of art. We have many songs that don’t originate in the US, including one called “Brrrlak!”, which is in Creole. Without digital media, we wouldn’t be able to immerse ourselves in other cultures and be able to fully appreciate their art forms without travel.
Do you think anything is lost when your performances are recorded?
It’s much more difficult to convey our connection to a song over a digital medium. We specifically make a point to discuss the meaning behind each song before performing it in order to understand the song’s emotional pulse, but these nuances and the energy that carries them is best received live.
Do you have a sneak preview of what to expect Thursday night?
We are looking forward to singing two new songs at Inspiration Night and some old favorites. While it doesn’t relate to the digital like our other three songs, we will be singing “Raise Your Glass” in order to celebrate the event. A recording of the song can be found here. To see more videos and elements of our digital presence, you can also check us out at www.princetonwildcats.com