I promise not all Campus Celebrities are the presidents of a capella groups (in case you’ve seen our last CC feature) but Erin Radley was far too great of a celeb to pass up. Majoring in psychology with an MMS certificate, and hailing from the hoppin’ town of Boston, Erin Radley is also the president of one Duke’s premiere all-female a capella groups, Deja Blue. Started in 1991, Deja Blue has signed CDs, brands itself via social media, and performs at concerts on campus, in the Durham area, and at many athletic events.
“It’s such a great group of girls – we always have a fun time together,” explained Erin, as she flashed a genuine smile, when I first asked her about the group. “And it’s more than just singing,” she continued, “because we’re all involved in other things on campus, we each bring something different to the group both vocally and personality wise, which makes the group really special.” After holding auditions and callbacks during the first two weeks of classes, Erin also shared how excited Deja Blue was in welcoming their new members. Don’t worry, the auditions weren’t as scary and drama-filled as Glee would have liked them to be. Erin assured me that it was a rewarding process. “We always see so much talent every year. I can’t wait to get together with the new singers this year!”
As the president of this diverse singing ensemble, Erin is responsible for a lot of organizational and administrative aspects. Not only does she make sure practices and shows run smoothly, but she also serves as an inspiration to the other women to do her best. Representing a large and well-known group on campus can be daunting, but Erin’s driven and flexible nature has helped her turn Deja Blue up a notch. “I have to keep everyone energized. It’s easy for everyone to get there and be so tired, and so I try to make it a place where we leave things at the door and come together as a group for our two hour practices.” Two hours?! My throat hurts after five minutes of chanting “Let’s Go Duke” at a basketball game. They got stamina.
Although my own singing abilities barely surpass those of Rebecca Black, having seen Erin and the rest of Deja Blue perform myself, I can confidently say they have some legit talent. Therefore, I wasn’t surprised when Erin told me she has always loved singing, and had started in her middle school choir. She then moved on to a capella in high school, and just kept going! Because my range consists of three notes, I asked her how a capella differs from other musical styles. “It’s so different,” she explained, “because you’re using your voice in a very unique way by blending your voices amongst the other singers.” Deja Blue has its own musical director, who finds a piece, arranges it, and breaks it down into four parts for the girls to work together on. “It’s exciting when it all comes together,” she said, as I nodded in agreement.
Aside from Deja Blue, Erin also finds herself occupied with various campus commitments. She is the philanthropy chair for her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma, involved in Dukes and Duchesses, and is responsible for CD compilation for Small Town Records. Every now and then, Deja Blue will also mix with other a capella groups, like Speak of the Devil (sigh) and the Pitchforks (sigh), for social events and parties. They probably don’t even need a stereo system… they could just sing to each other.
Be sure to check out Deja Blue on Facebook and Twitter @dukedejablue!