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Voices in Your Head
Background information
OriginUniversity of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States
GenresA Cappella
Years active1998 – present
LabelsA Cappella Records
Websitevoicesinyourhead.org

Voices in Your Head is a student-run a cappella group from the University of Chicago who aim to "push the bounds of contemporary a cappella." Founded in 1998, the group has consisted of both undergraduate and graduate students whose studies range from Economics to Music to MD/PhD programs. Its unique repertoire includes original pieces, as well as an eclectic mix of pop, R&B, rock, and alternative music. Voices competes regularly in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) and releases studio recordings of their arrangements.

History

1998–2008

Voices in Your Head was formed in the fall of 1998 by members who realized there were no 'funky' performance organizations at the University of Chicago.[1] They released their first live album, Sesquipedalia, in 2000, their first studio album, On Point, in 2002, and their second studio album, Songs for Padded Rooms, in 2005.

2008–2014

Note To Self, their third studio album which was released on May 23, 2008, received a strong Recorded A Cappella Review Board review[2] and contained a track ("Magic") selected for the 2008 edition of the international a cappella compilation, Voices Only.[3] Noted author Nick Hornby also included "Magic" from Note To Self in his 2008 playlist for the New York Times.[4]

On February 17, 2009, Ben Folds announced that "Magic" would appear on his 2009 album Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella!, calling it "a hell of a cool place to live for three and a half minutes." NBC Washington commented on the group's contribution, "Magic," saying "the arrangement is so different from the original that the song is a completely unique artifact–which should be the goal of any group, a cappella or otherwise, when attempting a cover." In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ben Folds commented: "There’s a group from the University of Chicago called Voices in Your Head that sings 'Magic' on the record, and to me they’re in a different league from the rest of the groups." As part of the tour to support the album release, Voices in Your Head performed live with Ben Folds on March 19, 2009, in Milwaukee, WI at the Eagles Ballroom.

That same year, Voices competed for the first time in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella[5] for the first time. In 2011, Voices finished third at their Midwest Quarterfinal; in 2012, they came in first at both the Quarterfinal and the Semifinal, progressing to ICCA finals in New York City, where they finished fourth overall. In addition, they competed in the inaugural Boston Sings collegiate competition, where they placed first.[6]

The group's next album, I Used to Live Alone, was released on May 21, 2011, and marked Voices' emergence into the national a cappella scene. Several tracks met critical acclaim in the a cappella community up to a year before its release: the tracks "I'd Like To," "Boomerang," and "Sharp" were all selected for national a cappella compilation albums. "Boomerang" also won “Best Scholastic Original” in the 2011 CARA (Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards). The album received positive reviews from the Recorded A Cappella Review Board (RARB),[7] and was selected as one of RARB's picks of the year.[8] In 2012, "I Used To Live Alone" was nominated for five CARAs, winning Best Mixed Collegiate Arrangement (Chris Rishel, for "I'd Like To") and runner up places for Best Mixed Collegiate Album, Song, and Solo.[9]

2014–2020

Voices returned to ICCA competition in 2014, falling short at the Midwest Semifinal after placing second at the Quarterfinal stage. The next year, however, after finishing first at their Midwest Quarterfinal and Semifinal, the group returned to Finals. The 2015 ICCA Finals, held on April 18 at New York City's Beacon Theatre, saw Voices finish 2nd to the University of Southern California's SoCal VoCals, as well as win Outstanding Soloist at Finals (Shubha Vedula).

The group took 2016 to tour in California and on the East Coast, where they performed for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at a White House holiday party. 2016 also saw the group complete LIGHTS, its sixth studio album, which was released in July of that year. LIGHTS would go on to win CARAs for Best Mixed Collegiate Album and Best Collegiate Original Song (Shubha Vedula and Chris Rishel, for "Feel So Bad").[10]

Voices competed in ICCA again in 2017, this time in the Great Lakes region. After placing first at their Quarterfinal and Semifinal, the group again advanced to Finals. At the Beacon Theatre, Voices finished 2nd to the Northeastern University Nor'easters on April 22, 2017, and won the award for Outstanding Arrangement for “How Deep is Your Love” (Will Cabaniss).[11]

2018 marked the 20th Anniversary of the founding of Voices in Your Head. To celebrate, they competed in ICCA with an entirely original set, being the first group to ever do so. The group advanced to Finals once again, placing first and winning Outstanding Arrangement at both their Quarterfinal and their Semifinal. Voices placed 3rd at Finals, behind The SoCal VoCals of University of Southern California and Upper Structure of Berklee College of Music.[11] The final event of the year, their 20th Anniversary Concert, reunited all alumni to celebrate the group's growth.

Voices released their seventh studio album Begin Again in 2019, which featured their 2017 and 2018 ICCA sets. Begin Again was selected as RARB's Album of the Year in 2019[12] and Album of the Decade in 2020,[13] with "Between Us" being selected as the 2019 Track of the Year.[14] Begin Again also went on to win 6 CARAs,[15] while songs "Between Us,” "How Long,” and “Part of Me” were featured on Voices Only 2019,[16] BOCA (Best of College A Cappella) 2019,[17] and Voices Only 2020,[18] respectively. It received a perfect score of 5 in its RARB review, and was called “one of the most original a cappella recordings of the past decade.”[19]

Wanting to explore different creative avenues for a cappella sets, the group took to the National A Cappella Convention (NACC) stage for the first time in 2019, placing as a runner-up behind The Nor’easters of Northeastern University and alongside the Green Tones of the University of North Texas. They also won an award for Outstanding Scene Painting.

Voices returned to ICCA in 2020, placing second at the Great Lakes Quarterfinal and taking home awards for Outstanding Arrangement, Outstanding Choreography (Natalia Rodriguez), and Outstanding Soloist (Hillary Yuen).[11] Sadly, the competition was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic before the group could advance to the Great Lakes Semifinal. In the face of ICCA being canceled, Voices organized “The Remedy Project”, welcoming all ICCA and ICHSA competitors to lend their voices to create an international a cappella collaboration.[20] The project, an asynchronous rendition of “Remedy,” originally performed by Son Lux, received over 168 submissions and showcased the love competitors hold for each other and the music they create.

2021–Present

In 2021, Voices welcomed 9 new members and set out to compete in ICCA, despite the fact that the majority of the group had never sung with each other in-person before. After placing second at their Quarterfinal and third at their Semifinal, the group won the Wildcard round[11] and advanced to the 2022 ICCA Finals at the Town Hall in New York City[11] for the fifth time in the group's history. This same year, their newly released single “Wolves” won 3 CARAs[21] and was featured on BOCA 2022.[22] “My Day Will Come”, released shortly after, was featured on Voices Only 2022,[23] BOCA 2023,[24] and selected as RARB's Single of the Year.[25]

Voices returned to compete in ICCA in 2023, receiving first place at the Great Lakes Quarterfinal. Here, the group took home special awards for Outstanding Arrangement and Outstanding Vocal Percussion for the entire set (Katie Ko and In Hyeok Oh, respectively). The group continued to the Great Lakes Semifinal, securing third place while also earning recognition for Outstanding Choreography for the entire set (Lina Klak, Joshua Park, Makila Sims).[26]

2023 also marked Voices’ 25th anniversary, celebrated with an anniversary concert. This memorable event served as a tribute to the group's evolution, featuring beloved songs from various eras, in addition to solo performances by alumni of the group. In recognition of the group's recent achievements, the current members performed their acclaimed 2023 ICCA set and debuted three new arrangements, including a new song, “Now I’m Listening”, written to honor Voices’ legacy by alum Will Cabaniss. The concert brought together a wide range of alumni, including some of the group's founding members, to celebrate the origins of Voices and its continued growth over the past 25 years.

Awards

2023 ICCA Great Lakes Semifinal Overall 3rd Place
Outstanding Choreography Winner, Lina Klak, Joshua Park, and Makila Sims for the entire set
ICCA Great Lakes Quarterfinal Overall 1st Place
Outstanding Arrangement Winner, Katie Ko for the entire set
Outstanding Vocal Percussion Winner, In Hyeok Oh for the entire set
BOCA (Best of Collegiate A Cappella)[27] BOCA 2023 "My Day Will Come"
2022 ICCA Finals Overall Finalist
ICCA Wild Card[28] Overall 1st Place
ICCA Great Lakes Semifinal Overall 3rd Place
ICCA Great Lakes Quarterfinal Overall 1st Runner-Up
Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs)[29] Best Electronic/Experimental Song Winner, Voices in Your Head for "Wolves"
Best Mixed Collegiate Arrangement Winner, Will Cabaniss for "Wolves"
Best Mixed Collegiate Song Winner, Voices in Your Head for "Wolves"
BOCA (Best of Collegiate A Cappella)[30] BOCA 2022 "Wolves"
RARB (Recorded A Cappella Review Board) Picks of the Year[31] Single of the Year "My Day Will Come"
Voices Only[23] Voices Only 2022 "My Day Will Come"
2020 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs)[32] Best Electronic/Experimental Song Winner, Voices in Your Head for "Between Us"
Best Original Song by a Scholastic Group Winner, Will Cabaniss and Kate Connors for "Between Us"
Best Pop Album Winner, Voices in Your Head for Begin Again
Best Mixed Collegiate Album Winner, Voices in Your Head for Begin Again
Best Mixed Collegiate Song Runner-Up, "Between Us" from Begin Again
Best Mixed Collegiate Arrangement Runner-Up, Will Cabaniss for "Between Us"
RARB (Recorded A Cappella Review Board) Picks of the Decade[33] Single "Burn" (2014)
Album Begin Again (2019)
ICCA Great Lakes Quarterfinal Overall 1st Runner-Up
Outstanding Arrangement Winner, Voices in Your Head for "O Superman"
Outstanding Choreography Winner, Natalia Rodriguez for the entire set
Outstanding Soloist Winner, Hillary Yuen for "My Day Will Come"
Voices Only[34] Voices Only 2020 "Part of Me"
2019 NAAC (The National A Cappella Convention)[35] Overall 1st Runner-Up
RARB (Recorded A Cappella Review Board) Picks of the Year[36] Album of the Year Begin Again
Track of the Year "Between Us"
Single of the Year "Sing for Myself"
BOCA (Best of Collegiate A Cappella)[37] BOCA 2019 "How Long"
Voices Only[38] Voices Only 2019, Vol. 1 "Between Us"
2018 ICCA Finals[39] Overall 3rd Place
ICCA Great Lakes Semifinal Overall 1st Place
Outstanding Arrangement Winner, Will Cabaniss for "Sing for Myself"
ICCA Great Lakes Quarterfinal Overall 1st Place
Outstanding Arrangement Winner, Will Cabaniss for "How Long"
2017 ICCA Finals[39] Overall 1st Runner-Up
Outstanding Arrangement Winner, Will Cabaniss for "How Deep Is Your Love"
ICCA Great Lakes Semifinal Overall 1st Place
Outstanding Arrangement Winner, Will Cabaniss for the entire set
ICCA Great Lakes Quarterfinal Overall 1st Place
Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs)[40] Best Mixed Collegiate Album Winner, Voices in Your Head for "LIGHTS"
Best Original Song by a Scholastic Group Winner, Shubha Vedula and Chris Rishel for "Feel So Bad"
Best Mixed Collegiate Song Nominated, Voices in Your Head for "Bang My Head"
Best Professional Arrangement for a Scholastic Group Runner-Up, Chris Rishel for "Feel So Bad"
BOCA (Best of Collegiate A Cappella)[41] BOCA 2017 "Show Me How You Burlesque"
Sing Sing 13: Superstition "Feel So Bad"
2016 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs)[42] Best Mixed Collegiate Solo 1st Runner Up, Shubha Vedula for "Show Me How You Burlesque"
Best Professional Arrangement for a Scholastic Group 1st Runner Up, Chris Rishel for "Heroes Listen"
BOCA (Best of Collegiate A Cappella)[41] BOCA 2016 "Heroes Listen"
Voices Only Voices Only 2016 "Feel So Bad"
2015 ICCA Finals[39] Overall 1st Runner Up
Outstanding Soloist Winner, Shubha Vedula
ICCA Midwest Semifinals Overall 1st Place
Outstanding Soloist Winner, Shubha Vedula
Outstanding Choreography Winner, Ana Isabel Martinez, Tyler Neenan, & Jaclyn Sattler
ICCA Midwest Quarterfinal Overall 1st Place
Outstanding Soloist Winner, Shubha Vedula
Outstanding Arrangement Winner, Voices in Your Head for "Bang My Head"
Outstanding Vocal Percussion Winner, Kevin Qian & Thomas Seo
BOCA (Best of Collegiate A Cappella)[41] BOCA 2015 "Burn"
Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs) Best Mixed Collegiate Song 1st Runner up, "Burn"
Best Original Song by a Scholastic Group Nominated, Ivan Pyzow for "Suena Asi"
Best Professional Arrangement for a Scholastic Group Winner, Chris Rishel for "Burn"
2014 BOCA (Best of Collegiate A Cappella)[41] Best of BOCA: The First 20 Years "We Found Love"
BOCA 2014 "Bad Moon Rising"
Sing Sing 11: One Louder "Burn"
Voices Only Voices Only 2014[43] "Suena Así"
ICCA Midwest Semifinal[44] Outstanding Vocal Percussion Winner, Kevin Qian
ICCA Midwest Quarterfinal[44] Overall 1st Runner-Up
Outstanding Choreography Winner, Ana Isabel Martinez, Tyler Neenan, & Jaclyn Sattler
Outstanding Vocal Percussion Winner, Kevin Qian
2013 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs)[45][46] Best Mixed Collegiate Arrangement Winner, Chris Rishel for "We Found Love"
Best Mixed Collegiate Song Winner, "We Found Love"
Best Scholastic Original Song Nominated, Chris Rishel and Brianne Holland for "Life of the Mind"
BOCA (Best of Collegiate A Cappella)[41] BOCA 2013 "We Found Love"
Voices Only Voices Only 2013[47] "We Found Love"
A Cappella Community Awards (ACAs)[48][49] Favorite Collegiate Album Runner-Up, I Used to Live Alone
Favorite Competition Set Runner-Up, 2012 ICCA Finals
Favorite Mixed Collegiate Group Runner-Up
Favorite Music Video Runner-Up, "Titanium (song)"
Favorite Arranger Nominated, Chris Rishel
Favorite Original Song Nominated, "Life of the Mind"
Favorite Songwriter Nominated, Chris Rishel
2012 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs)[50][51] Best Mixed Collegiate Arrangement Winner, Chris Rishel, "I'd Like To"
Best Mixed Collegiate Album Runner-Up, I Used to Live Alone
Best Mixed Collegiate Song Runner-Up, "I'd Like To" (opb Corinne Bailey Rae)
Best Mixed Collegiate Solo Runner-Up, Elspeth Michaels, "I'd Like To"
Best Scholastic Original Nominated, Chris Rishel & Zachary Madden, "Sharp" (opb Voices in Your Head)
Sing Sing 9: Supernovem[52] "We Found Love"
Voices Only Voices Only 2012[53] "Titanium"
ICCA Finals Overall 4th Place
ICCA Midwest Semifinal[54] Overall 1st Place
Outstanding Arrangement Winner, Chris Rishel
Outstanding Choreography Winner, Alex Gilewicz and Ryan Bober
ICCA Midwest Quarterfinal[55] Overall 1st Place
Outstanding Arrangement Winner, Chris Rishel, "We Found Love" (opb Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris) & "Titanium" (opb David Guetta feat. Sia)
Outstanding Choreography Winner, Alex Gilewicz and Ryan Bober
Boston Sings (BOSS) Collegiate Competition[56] Overall 1st Place
2011 CARAs[57] Best Scholastic Original Winner, Chris Rishel & Elspeth Michaels, "Boomerang"
RARB (Recorded A Cappella Review Board) Picks of the Year[58] Album of the Year I Used to Live Alone
Song of the Year "Boomerang"
Song of the Year "I'd Like To"
BOCA (Best of Collegiate A Cappella)[41] BOCA 2011 "I'd Like To"
Sing Sing 8: Too Cubed[59] "Sharp"
ACAs[60] Favorite Mixed Collegiate Group Nominated
Favorite Female Vocalist Nominated, Elspeth Michaels
Favorite Original A Cappella Song Nominated, "Boomerang" (opb Voices in Your Head)
ICCA Midwest Quarterfinal[61] Overall 2nd Runner-Up
Outstanding Arrangement Winner, Chris Rishel, "Break Your Heart" (opb Taio Cruz)
2010 Sing Sing 7: Lucky[62] "Boomerang"
Voices Only Voices Only 2010[63] "I'd Like To"
2009 Ben Folds Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella[64] "Magic"
Voices Only Voices Only 2009[65] "Supermassive Black Hole" (opb Muse)
2008 Voices Only Voices Only 2008[66] "Magic" (opb Ben Folds Five)

References

  1. ^ "Voices in Your Head -". Archived from the original on 2018-08-28. Retrieved 2018-11-03.
  2. ^ [1] RARB review of Note To Self
  3. ^ [2] Voices Only 2008 Official Website
  4. ^ [3] Nick Hornby's 2008 Playlist
  5. ^ [4] ICCA 2010 Midwest lineup
  6. ^ [5] BOSS 2012 Competition results
  7. ^ "Voices in Your Head - I Used to Live Alone (2011)". www.rarb.org. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  8. ^ "Picks of 2011 | RARB: The Recorded A Cappella Review Board". www.rarb.org. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  9. ^ "2012 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards Results - Contemporary A Cappella Society". 2012-04-05. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  10. ^ "2017 Contemporary A Capella Recording Award Results - Contemporary A Cappella Society". 2017-04-03. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  11. ^ a b c d e "Results". Varsity Vocals. 2015-08-12. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  12. ^ "RARB Picks of 2019". www.rarb.org. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  13. ^ "Picks of the Decade: 2010-2019 | RARB: The Recorded A Cappella Review Board". www.rarb.org. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  14. ^ "RARB Picks of 2019". www.rarb.org. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  15. ^ "2020 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards Results - Contemporary A Cappella Society". 2020-04-05. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  16. ^ "Voices Only 2019 - The best a cappella tracks on 2 volumes". www.voicesonlyacappella.com. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  17. ^ "BOCA 2019". Varsity Vocals. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  18. ^ "Voices Only 2020 - The best a cappella tracks on 2 volumes". www.voicesonlyacappella.com. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  19. ^ "Voices in Your Head - Begin Again (2019)". www.rarb.org. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  20. ^ The Remedy Project | An International A Cappella Collaboration, retrieved 2022-09-05
  21. ^ "2022 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards Results - Contemporary A Cappella Society". 2022-04-30. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  22. ^ "BOCA 2022". Varsity Vocals. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  23. ^ a b "Voices Only 2022 Submission Guidelines". www.voicesonlyacappella.com. Retrieved 2022-09-03.
  24. ^ Andrew Poole (2023-02-08). "BOCA & BOHSA 2023 Now Available!". Varsity Vocals. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  25. ^ "RARB Picks of 2022". www.rarb.org. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  26. ^ "Results". Varsity Vocals. 2015-08-12. Retrieved 2023-07-03.
  27. ^ Andrew Poole (2023-02-08). "BOCA & BOHSA 2023 Now Available!". Varsity Vocals. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  28. ^ Amanda Newman (2022-04-01). "2022 ICCA & ICHSA Wild Card Results". Varsity Vocals. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  29. ^ "2022 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards Results - Contemporary A Cappella Society". 2022-04-30. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  30. ^ "BOCA 2022". Varsity Vocals. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  31. ^ "RARB Picks of 2022". www.rarb.org. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  32. ^ "2020 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards Results - Contemporary A Cappella Society". 2020-04-05. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  33. ^ "Picks of the Decade: 2010-2019 | RARB: The Recorded A Cappella Review Board". www.rarb.org. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  34. ^ "Voices Only 2020 - The best a cappella tracks on 2 volumes". www.voicesonlyacappella.com. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  35. ^ "National A Cappella Convention 2019: The Collegiate Invitational feat. NOMADI..." nacc19.sched.com. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  36. ^ "RARB Picks of 2019". www.rarb.org. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  37. ^ "BOCA 2019". Varsity Vocals. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  38. ^ "Voices Only 2019 - The best a cappella tracks on 2 volumes". www.voicesonlyacappella.com. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  39. ^ a b c "Results". Varsity Vocals. 2015-08-12. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  40. ^ [6] Archived 2017-04-11 at the Wayback Machine 2017 CARA Awards
  41. ^ a b c d e f [7] BOCA Albums
  42. ^ [8] Archived 2019-09-11 at the Wayback Machine 2016 CARA Awards
  43. ^ [9] Voices Only 2014
  44. ^ a b [10] 2014 International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella Results
  45. ^ [11] Archived 2013-07-25 at the Wayback Machine 2013 CARA winners
  46. ^ [12] Archived 2013-03-07 at the Wayback Machine 2013 CARA nominees
  47. ^ [13] Voices Only 2013
  48. ^ [14] 2013 ACA winners
  49. ^ [15] 2013 ACA nominees
  50. ^ [16] 2012 CARA winners
  51. ^ [17] 2012 CARA nominees
  52. ^ [18] Sing 9: Supernovem Track list Announcement
  53. ^ [19] Voices Only 2012
  54. ^ [20] Archived 2011-07-09 at the Wayback Machine ICCA 2012 Results
  55. ^ [21] Archived 2010-11-29 at the Wayback Machine 2012 International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella Results
  56. ^ [22] Boston Sings
  57. ^ [23] 2011 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award Winners
  58. ^ [24] RARB Picks of '11
  59. ^ [25] Sing 8: Too Cubed Tracklist Announcement
  60. ^ [26] 2011 A Cappella Community Awards Nominees
  61. ^ [27] 2011 International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella Results
  62. ^ [28] Sing 7: Lucky Track list
  63. ^ [29] Voices Only 2010
  64. ^ [30] Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella!
  65. ^ [31] Voices Only 2009
  66. ^ [32] Voices Only 2008
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