On January 24th, 2013, the Chinese Student’s Association (CSA) put together a fantastic singing competition with a special YouTube guest, AJ Rafael! You may recognize AJ from one of his top songs, Juicebox.
I had the wonderful opportunity of interviewing the two co-directors of Western Voice: Natalie Wong and Erika Tsang. These two lovely ladies were full of energy and definitely very passionate about what the show they put together. Read below for our in-depth interview as they give you all the details about Western’s largest singing competition!
What year and program are you in?
Natalie: I am a second-year student in Honors Specialization English.
Erika: I am currently in second year, studying Global Economics (AEO2).
Where are you guys from (hometown)?
Natalie: I am from Richmond Hill, Ontario (but basically Toronto)
Erika: It’s a little complicated. I grew up in Thornhill, North York and Richmond Hill – so basically all over the GTA.
What is Western Voice x CSA?
Natalie: Western Voice x CSA is an annual singing competition for Western students . For the last few years, Western Voice has proudly supported charity organizations, donating many of our proceeds to the Sunshine Foundation and Red Cross. The show is held in late January at the Mustang Lounge, and we have multiple performances other than singing, such as beat-boxing and dancing. Every year, we invite a special guest from YouTube to help judge the contestants and perform for the audience.
Erika: The show has grown into one of the biggest highlights of the school year and it gets bigger and better every year. With over 110 auditions this year, we narrowed it down to the Top 10 who vied for the title of Western Voice winner. We are passionate and huge supporters of YouTube and its impact on music. Every year, we invite in a YouTube celebrity musician to sing and guest judge. This year we were very excited to have AJ Rafael, who has over 100 million views on YouTube.
What was the hardest challenge when planning this event?
Natalie: This is a hard question! For me, the hardest challenge when planning this event was probably running auditions nonstop for a whole week straight! It was extremely difficult to decide who to choose as our top 10 contestants, especially when Western had so much talent and diversity!
Erika: The hardest part was definitely getting all the details together. Brainstorming and creative planning are the fun parts, while logistics and execution are most necessary, but also incredibly tough. I’m glad we had an amazing team to help run the show! Shout out to Ryan Young, Jasmine Hong, David Tian and Sarah Yip.
What contributed to the success of Western Voice?
Natalie: I would definitely say that my friendship with Erika helped a lot in making the show successful this year. Our ability to work well as a team contributed in great communication, organization, and overall efficiency! I would also say that the Special Events team of David, Sarah, Jasmine, and Ryan made a huge difference in the quality of our show. Great job guys!
Erika: I’m so happy Natalie and I were Co-Directors! I definitely would not have it any other way. Working together made Western Voice a lot more enjoyable and more like a fun project, rather than “work”. I think what’s great about Western Voice is that we work together with a team of really good friends and we all share the same passion for the show.
How did you manage to get AJ Rafael to come to Western?
Natalie: A lot of emailing and persistence. Also, a large percent of the Youtube community knew about Western Voice, since we’ve brought Clara C and Joseph Vincent to judge the show.
Erika: We started emailing agencies in the summer before school started. We had a lot of promising conversations with a lot of YouTube managers, but either their schedule or our timing just did not work out. In December, we reconnected with Tom Ngo, who was the manager for the previous year’s guest, Joseph Vincent. Tom helped us reach out to AJ Rafael and the rest is history!
What’s your favourite song at the moment?
Natalie: My favourite song at the moment is “Human” by Krewella…it’s been my favourite for like 6 months.
Erika: I’m currently LOVING the song “The Mother We Share” by CHVRCHES. Check it out – I promise it’s good!
Natalie and Erika with AJ Rafael
For all the auditions from the contestants and pictures from the show, check out Western Voice’s Facebook page here!
Cheers,
Anna