BUPA Hosts Genre Mash Competition

Diana Akin Scarfo talking to BUPA members about her career. Photo taken by Ava Gorney.

Remixes of Tyla and Michael Jackson, The Weeknd and Radiohead or Sabrina Carpenter and Noah Kahan may not sound like perfect matches, but some Belmont students brought them together.

BUPA is a collective of student producers, songwriters, and other creatives who gather once a week for events such as beat battles, challenges and seminars featuring industry professionals.

Singer Maddie Barrick and producer Marshall Hopkins stood out at the Belmont University Producer’s Association's Genre Mash event Friday.

“I think BUPA is a fantastic organization for producers around Belmont,” said Barrick. “It's just been a really great opportunity for students here to network and be able to form connections that they can have outside of Belmont and throughout their lives.”

The music production competition was BUPA’s second event of the semester. It was led by guest judge Diana Akin Scarfo, vice president of creative services at SESAC Music Group. 

The winning duo took the mellow Noah Kahan song “Stick Season” and paired it with Maddie Barrick’s airy pop vocals to create an upbeat, catchy mashup in the style of Sabrina Carpenter.

The event, held in a small conference room, created an intimate setting where artists could freely share their music; an important aspect for a group that fosters connections.

“BUPA is really committed to community and building a space where people can feel welcomed regardless of what their status is as a musician,” said BUPA president Nate Katic. 

The Genre Mash event began with Akin Scarfo speaking to students about her journey in the music industry and how she got her start. 

Akin Scarfo discussed a wide range of topics, including the growth of Nashville’s music scene, what it’s like to work for a large company like SESAC and how to successfully network. 

“You don’t have to be a people person…you just have to meet people you connect with,” Akin Scarfo said.

The event then moved into the Genre Mash competition, where she and the BUPA leadership board judged 13 submissions. 

The event challenged students to team up and create short demos of a specific song in the style of another artist. 

One team was tasked with flipping Tyla’s “Water” into a Michael Jackson-style song, while another needed to make Radiohead’s style work on The Weeknd’s “Die For You.”

The events from BUPA change constantly, making sure the creativity is always moving with the evolving music landscape.

“We try to change it up, because in the music industry–it's an ever-changing industry, and what you might be doing one day isn't going to be what you're doing the next day,” said Katic.

This article was written by Ava Gorney