Last Sunday, Tufts' newest a cappella group ushered in spring with an energetic blend of soul, hip-hop and gospel music. Alumnae Lounge was crowded with students enjoying a collaborative performance by Essence and Soul-Factor, or S-Factor.
S-Factor provides the a cappella scene at Tufts with a unique sound and style of presentation. Though it might be considered the male equivalent of Essence, S-Factor differs stylistically from its female counterpart by incorporating rap and poetry into its repertoire of spirituals and popular hip-hop. The members of S-Factor met while participating in the Tufts Gospel Choir, and the influence of gospel music on the group is evident.
"We were just a bunch of friends singing in the gospel choir. Eventually we started hanging out afterwards," S-Factor's president, junior Theron Corbin, said. "Then, about a year ago, we started to sing a cappella for fun."
According to Corbin, there was no lack of interest in soul music on campus. "A lot of people really wanted to see a group like this, including ourselves. It wasn't difficult to get people together," Corbin said. "I didn't have to make people want to sing this type of music because a lot of people already want to."
S-Factor began meeting early in the semester, and initially dedicated a lot of time to logistical questions. "We had to figure out what this group was and how to pick songs, whether we wanted a theme, how we wanted to be perceived, and how we wanted to relay music to the audience," Corbin said. "Basically, we were figuring out who we were as an a cappella ensemble."
For the group's members, the genre of soul music encompasses emotions as much as sounds. "Soul music is something very profound. It's a certain style of music that touches the core and makes you want to sing and dance. It denotes a certain feeling and energy," Corbin said, "It's the sounds that come from the soul."
Energy wasn't lacking at the group's Sunday performance, in which the audience participated with clapping and dancing.
"During the encore, everyone stood up and started moving and clapping, praising and rejoicing, putting their hands up in the air and letting go of everything else. At one point, it was almost as if the words didn't matter. It was a truly happy, free experience," Corbin said.
This kind of audience participation is exactly what S-Factor aims for in the future. "We want to do music that's really meaningful. We want to change the audience and leave them inspired," Corbin said.
S-Factor and Essence dedicated Sunday's concert to the victims of the shooting at Virginia Tech, and encouraged the audience to attend a candlelight vigil following the performance. Performers and audience members alike observed a moment of silence in honor of the victims.
"First and foremost, the concert was dedicated to the tragedy at Virginia Tech, but the underlying theme was about needing and finding love and faith. It was about wanting to believe and find something more in this life," Corbin said.
"Soul music has a particular healing quality, and creates unity wherever it's performed. We wanted to make it known that we were supporting those who are grieving."
S-Factor has plans for the future. They will hold auditions in the fall, and hope to increase the current number of members from 10 to around 12. They will perform during next semester's Orientation Show, and intend to continue having shows on and off campus.
Corbin hopes to see S-Factor continue to collaborate with other a cappella groups, including Essence.
"Essence was amazing as usual, and we hope to collaborate with them in the future to create something on stage that hasn't been done with a cappella before," Corbin said.
With or without collaboration, S-Factor's future shows promise to spice up Tufts' a cappella scene, adding a little soul to the current blend of music.
