Hyannis Sound 2020: The New Guys.
The ARRIVAL of the pandemic
The arrival of auditions weekend coincided with a new buzz in the media—a highly contagious virus called COVID-19 had begun spreading worldwide, with cases rising rapidly. After an in-person group round and a final callback round held virtually, the group welcomed five new members. Jacob and Savidu (NYU) joined as a powerful tenor pair, with Cristian (UMass Lowell) completing the tenor trifecta. Cahleb from Harvard brought a refined taste in music and a smooth baritone voice, while Jimmy (UNH), at just 18 years old, filled out the lower end with his bass.
Immediately after auditions in March 2020, COVID-19 sent the world into lockdown. People were urged to stay at home, minimize contact with others, and wear face masks when it was necessary to go outside. This posed a huge problem for the group, which had thrived on in-person performances up until that point. With the pandemic restrictions and the uncertainty surrounding the group's chances of sustainability, several members questioned their participation in HS2020. Ultimately, the group was made up of 9 brave souls, more than half of whom were new members.
Hyannis Sound 2020. Tiktok, 2020-7-14.
Hyannis Sound 2020.
Hyannis Sound 2020.
HYANNIS SOUND GOES VIRAL
Due to the lack of in-person performance revenue, the group was tasked with coming up with new strategies. These included setting up an online merchandise store, hosting virtual karaoke nights, and, most notably, creating content for social media. Amidst the pandemic, a new app called TikTok had become one of the most popular platforms. The 2020 group tried their hand at it, posting short clips of songs from their set, trios of trending songs, and much more. This strategy yielded great results—after a video featuring turkey bacon and a trio of “Replay” by Iyaz hit 1 million views, the group went viral and caught the attention of the internet.
A video of “Fallin’,” sung by Jacob, went viral and was noticed by none other than Alicia Keys. Soon after, the group was featured in Glamour magazine's series “You Sang My Song” with the famous singer. Click here to watch their collaboration with Alicia Keys!