After being posted on YouTube on November 6th, the AcaBelles never thought their cover of Lorde’s “Royals” (below) would bring so much national attention to their all-female a cappella group so quickly. With over 4.5 million views (as of Saturday, November 23rd), this video has been featured on CNN, Buzzfeed, Elle Magazine, perezhilton.com, Thought Catalog, Seventeen Magazine, Huffington Post, HLN, and local news and radio stations. The list goes on and on.
Elle Magazine says, “If Pitch Perfect‘s Barden Bellas really existed, we’re sure Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, and the gang would be scheming up strategies on how to beat the Florida State University AcaBelles in a sing-off.” Perez Hilton says the cover is “UN. BE. LIEVABLE!!” This is pretty amazing, ladies!
The AcaBelles were established at FSU in 2000, leaving a legacy of aca-greatness. In both 2009 and 2011, they were crowned South Champion of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA). In this past 2012-2013 season, the ‘Belles earned second place and Outstanding Choreography at ICCA south quarterfinals at Clemson, and stunned Nashville for ICCA’s semifinals.
In addition to spreading their love for music around FSU’s campus and working with community groups and high schools around Tally, the Acabelles traveled from Jacksonville to Boca Raton performing on a tour this past winter.
Made up of 17 girls, The AcaBelles are all in different years and majors, but their love for music and each other is what makes them the amazing group of women they are. Aria Grosso, a senior music therapy major, told us, “Sure, times get really hard and stressful when it comes to competition time, and we have to spend massive amounts of time together, but ultimately it’s a really beautiful thing to see us all come together and make it work. We all enjoy it so much because we love each other so much.”
The ‘Belles rehearse three times a week for two hours, but during competition time, their rehearsals could last even longer and occur everyday. Even with this time commitment, the girls do it for fun. Tatiana Penagos is a junior music therapy major and loves that she gets to “sing with her best friends.”
With their cover going VIRAL, the girls are humbled and astounded by the support they’ve received (we are, too, for putting FSU on the map for something other than football recently!). Aria Grosso said, “half the group is always crying (we’re a group of 17 girls, it’s bound to get emotional up in here haha) because they’re blown away by the incredible support we’ve been shown. I’ve just felt so blessed by all of this.” Tatiana sums it up when she says, “What makes this beautiful is that we were able to touch and inspire people of all ages with MUSIC and that’s all I’ve ever wanted in life.”
When we asked junior Brittany Taman (a double major in Editing, Writing and Media and Studio Art) where she’d like to see the fame from their ‘Royals’ take the AcaBelles, she responded, “It’s already taken us to a whole new level! I’m hoping that we’ll be able to raise money to make a new album, compete in ICCA, and attend a cappella festivals. An appearance on Ellen or a shout-out from Lorde would be the best-case scenario. We’re just ecstatic that the a cappella community has gained so much attention on a national level – there’re so many talented people that deserve the support we’ve received!”
There ya have it, ladies. Our very own AcaBelles are making history, and we’re rooting for them! Don’t be surprised when you see these girls on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon or Ellen, for that matter. And make sure you stop them for their autographs when you see them around campus . . . they will be worth thousands one day!