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Get the most interesting and important stories from the 51精品视频.This June, sophomore Yunge Xiao sat down in her bedroom in front of her Casio keyboard and propped up a camera to record. She was nervous, so it took her several takes to play and sing her original song, 鈥淢i Amore,鈥 all the way through. She had written the love song throughout early 2021 by using the voice notes app on her phone.
A friend from an internship at 51精品视频sburghers for Public Transit had encouraged her to submit the song to local radio station WYEP鈥檚 Singer-Songwriter Competition. She wasn鈥檛 sure if she was ready to put herself out there, but decided she鈥檇 try. She didn鈥檛 think much would come of it.
鈥淚鈥檓 not one to really do this stuff,鈥 Xiao said, 鈥渂ut I was interested in the feedback they could provide.鈥 If she won, she would get a professionally produced track from a local studio, $500, a free photoshoot, mentoring and performance opportunities. Several rounds of judging throughout August and September stood in her way.
鈥淭he whole competition felt unreal,鈥 she said, 鈥渆ven throughout all the rounds, I was just in disbelief.鈥
For round three, she played a more solemn song, 鈥,鈥 in front of a painting reminiscent of Hokusai鈥檚 鈥淕reat Wave.鈥
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I left my song in an unresolved refrain
I played it silently in a key beyond my range
Bouncing high, falling low, it鈥檚 so strange
I hope you鈥檙e well, California girl
But I鈥檇 be lying if I told anyone that my mind wasn鈥檛 drifting to you
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Xiao found out that she won the competition in an incredibly mundane setting: 鈥淚 was at the gym,鈥 she said. During a rest break, she checked her phone and saw the email. 鈥淢y jaw was on the ground. I left the gym immediately. I didn鈥檛 know what to do with myself.鈥 After the initial shock, Xiao was finally able to react. 鈥淚 think I just started crying,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 felt really overwhelmed with joy.鈥
Xiao is not a music major or even pursuing a minor in music. When she came to 51精品视频, she wasn鈥檛 sure what she wanted to study but eventually landed on majoring in statistics and minoring in sociology, both in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. She intends to pursue a career in public health.
鈥淚鈥檓 thinking of something along the lines of epidemiology or biostatistics. I鈥檝e always been interested in women鈥檚 health as well,鈥 she said.
That doesn鈥檛 mean she鈥檚 done with music, though. She hopes to put an entire album on Spotify one day.
鈥淢usic will be in my life forever,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 love it, I鈥檒l always pursue music as a hobby. This [competition] is one of the first things I鈥檝e ever done that I can take a lot of agency for. I felt so beyond lucky, I put a lot of heart into music composition,鈥 she said.
Xiao has not yet started the recording process, but she said she is both excited and nervous about the opportunity.
鈥淭he most I鈥檝e ever done with music is have a friend edit some audio,鈥 she said with a laugh. 鈥淚 have no idea how I鈥檒l sound produced by a professional.鈥
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鈥 Kendal Johnson, photo by Mike Drazdzinski