“Conquer the world with happiness” is the self proclaimed mission statement of BYU’s all male singing group Vocal Point, and in a few days they’ll have a chance to bring happiness to the millions of viewers who tune in to watch “The Sing-Off.”
They will be one of 16 groups featured on the popular TV show, a singing competition which only features a cappella singing groups and is hosted by Nick Lachey with Ben Folds, Sara Bareilles and Shawn Stockman (from Boyz II Men) filling the judge’s seats. The show airs on Monday nights at 7 p.m. on NBC starting next week with a special 2-hour premiere of the third season.
When Vocal Point vice president Tyler Sterling, 25, from Renton, Wash., found out they had made it on the show he called Noteworthy, BYU’s all female singing group who performed on the show’s first season.
[/media-credit]
The members of Vocal Point were only able to attend their first day of classes and missed the next two weeks while in Los Angeles shooting the show. Classmates volunteered to share notes and the OIT department taped some of their lectures to make sure the students didn’t fall behind in their studies.
Support like this, and a whole lot more, is what made it possible for Vocal Point to take the stage in Cougar blue blazers and sing for an audience of millions.
“It’s been nothing less than exhilarating, “Sterling said. “This has been a great opportunity to be ambassadors for BYU, for the Church and for Vocal Point and we all collaborated together and made it work.”
Getting to know famous musicians like Folds and Bareilles through their comments and critiques was a favorite aspect of the show for Vocal Point. Ben Murphy a 25-year old English major from Sydney, Australia, idolizes Stockman and was able to live out a personal dream by singing in front of him.
However, Murphy admits it was just as much work as play, as Vocal Point had to perform in front of cameras and be surrounded by a talented group of peers.
“Look forward to some awesome entertainment from not only us, but from a lot of great groups on the show,” Murphy said. “It should be really good. We’re pleased about what we’ve done so far on the show, we’ve really pushed our styles and it’s been a really exciting journey and we’ve put together some really incredible performances.”
Andrew Tolman, 23, from Salt Lake City, majoring in political science, has been watching the show since the first season and plans to watch this season as well. From his perspective, as the seasons have progressed, he said the competition has gotten more fierce and talented.
“Earlier in the seasons I think they would have dominated,” Tolman said. “Lately there has been a lot more talent, but I think Vocal Point will do well. It will be a tough competition.”
The winner of the competition will receive $200,000 and a record deal with Sony music. The judges determine which groups advance up until the finale, when the winner is decided by the viewers.
