Lip-Sync is an annual event at West High that consists of students, for 2 nights only, passionately performing on a stage to different and iconic songs and movie scenes. One performance that stuck out was a live performance of “Sorry” by Justin Bieber, performed by Mia Tello and Arianne Quiambao. So, I decided to interview them to find out what their mindset was throughout the whole event.
Why did she want to participate in the first place? Arianne Quiambao (junior) responded with, “When I first signed up for lip sync I felt like I was following the footsteps of my friends before me, and I wasn’t really sure if there would be a big turnout of people joining considering that all the seniors that ran it last year graduated.” Quiambao spoke about her nervousness surrounding the number of people that might participate but was still pushed and inspired to join by her lip-sync predecessors. She adds, “I would say just the feeling of “YOLO”, right? So, what if it’s an embarrassing feeling? You only get one shot at high school, and I had been wanting to do it ever since I saw [Lip-sync] during my freshman year, the seniors, specifically the Tyler the Creator performance where the red lights flickered really impressed me, as well as my friend Matthew [Jolly] (Senior) who performed last year, it’s something that a lot of people wanted to go to. I think performing at rallies is a dream as well, so the lip sync is taking baby steps there.
Quiambao is then asked about her experience of her time on stage and how Mia (Tello) and her felt about the audience. “Hearing the audience was definitely one of my favorite parts. Mia and I wondered if they were hyped for the performance [itself], or just ready for the glow sticks; we made sure to add more [Glowsticks] every period! Mia and I sat on the two blocks near the stage and had people repeatedly coming back (during different class periods), so they knew what would happen and they would yell out our names, it definitely made me smile and I’m sure Mia can agree that we felt like celebrities for the day.” She mentions her favorite crowds were “definitely third period” on day 1 because that was also they day her hyped up leadership class came to watch and “sixth period of the second (and last) day.” (In a deleted question Qiuambao mentions her favorite part in the duo performance was sliding in during “beauty and the beat” and planning something different with Tello every time.
I asked if she could see any of her friends in the crowd, Arianne laughed, and answered, “…for the beginning shows I definitely could not see anybody, I could only see my friends if they were sitting on the side, or they had previously sent me a picture of where they were sitting, I could see some people in the VERY front or some people on the floor, but that was only if I looked prior to the performance.”
Lastly, I wanted to know how post lip-sync was and any advice she had for people who may be nervous to join. ” After I finished performing, I definitely felt a rush of Adrenaline, like “Whew!” Hoping it was better than the period [Second] before and even rating the crowds.” I would totally do lip sync again. ” …follow what you feel regardless of song choice or how you think people will react, you cannot even see the crowd during the performance, and if it’s to a song lots of people enjoy, it works out even better! I found many underrated songs because of lip sync, so even if you are scared of song choice, I promise you no one will reflect on it. Live by YOLO and don’t sit there wondering what could’ve happened if you did it!” Hope to see you perform in Lip sync next year.
Last Mentions: “Ms. Hackney is very welcoming, and Mr. Benhman is down for anything. Also, students that worked in the theater to make our dreams come true were extremely accommodating, and I feel like they don’t get enough recognition! Stay tuned for our comeback next year!”
