Belmont’s Pop Showcase performers brought soul, energy and their own personal sound as they took the Curb Event Center stage Saturday night.
Longtime showcase host Marcus Knight and special guest host Dana Dobson took to the stage to announce the first performer of the evening, sophomore Sierra Carson.
Carson ran up onstage to perform an energetic folk-influenced pop number she wrote titled “Trauma.” Her second song, “High School Friends,” allowed for a more stripped-down, intimate performance tackling — you guessed it — losing contact with the people you grew up with.
Her last song, “Matches,” started out as a slower ballad that then transitioned into a louder, more intense finale to close out her performance, strumming on her acoustic guitar.
The next performer, Chasyn, began his set with a hyper-pop intro song, showing off his drumming skills and inviting his band and backup singers onstage.
Dressed in matching customized jump suits, Chasyn and his band started off his setlist with “I Don’t Want to be Alone Tonight” with high energy stage presence. A unique part of his set came from his bandmate Sam Nadler and his saxophone solos throughout the performance, which added a soulful influence on Chasyn’s electronic sound.
He was accompanied by his high school best friend Collyn for his next song titled “One Makes Two Fools,” shifting gears from the intensity and heading in a more mellow direction.
His final song invited backup singer and Belmont senior Lucas Blair in a song they wrote together called “Real,” closing out his show with his signature lively stage presence.
Up next came Grace Pelle with her song “Outgrowing” followed by “Stuck in my Head.” Pelle performs with a rock, alternative influence in her pop music, interacting with her band and the crowd.
Before her last song, Pelle asked a series of questions and encouraged the audience to shine their flashlight if they related to any of what she was asking — in signature Belmont Welcome Week fashion. This led into her final performance of her song “Empty Spaces” which tackles relationship and mental health struggles, which she said took her a year to write.
The final performance came from Chris Wiper, who strutted to the front of the stage singing his unreleased song “Mercury” which included simple yet smooth choreography from his band and backup singers.
His next song “Pink Whitney” showed off Wiper’s impressive range and tone of voice, displaying everything he’s got.
He closed out his set with “Heat Stroke” that got the crowd before him dancing and singing along to his lyrics.
A notable yet difficult part of the evening occurred when Knight and Dobson finally announced the winners.
The crowd anxiously awaited to hear the results as the hosts opened the card to reveal that Chris Wiper came out victorious at the 2022 Pop Showcase.
An excited Grace Pelle and her band took to the stage, causing the duo and the crowd to be slightly confused and a little nervous about what was to come.
Wiper finally took to the stage to claim his victory, with Pelle and her band soon realizing it was not her name that was called.It was a moment reminiscent of the “La La Land” fiasco at the Oscars in 2016.
Slightly uncomfortable yet cheerful and proud, all the groups then gathered on the stage to get one last final round of applause while Chris gave some final words of wisdom to the audience; “Stay sexy and go Bruins.” This article was written by Lilly Owens