Street: What are five songs that define your life right now?
Rachel Greenberg: 1. Icona Pop: I Love It—This sound is my perfect pre–game song. My roommates and I have a tendency to blast this in our house every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Tuesday...oops. I’m a second semester senior, don’t judge me. 2. Carrie Underwood: Undo It—Doesn’t this song describe every female at Penn at one point or the other? It’s about realizing your mistakes and instead of learning from them and improving, just erasing them and wishing they never happened. Healthy coping. 3. Lady Gaga: Edge of Glory—This song just makes me feel like a boss. After I realize all of my mistakes during Undo It, this song reminds me that we’re all awesome in our own way and my mistakes are what make me awesome. 4. Adele: Rumor Has It—Another female empowerment song, obviously. Adele’s belt matches my own style of singing, so I always feel I can identify with her. Plus, it’s about putting people behind you and moving on. And the title reminds me of the social scene in college and how ridiculous things can get just through word of mouth. 5. Lil Wayne: A Milli—I’m treating this choice as Ego of the Week’s “alter ego” question. I’m not sure why, but this song always puts me in a good mood. Apparently I identify as an angry rapper who uses profanity to express his/her inner artist. I know it’s a pretty stark contrast to the past three songs, but hey, that’s why it’s called an ALTER ego, right?
Street: What is your favorite thing about Dischord? RG: My favorite thing about Dischord, ironically, has nothing to do with singing. It’s like being in another (coed) sorority (fraternity? whatever). Dischord is comprised of the most honest and real people at Penn and they truly feel like my family. Seriously though, we have no filter around each other. It causes some ridiculous/contentious situations sometimes, but mostly it’s just awesome.
Street: What types of music do you sing and perform? RG: I personally sing a lot of Adele, Lady Gaga, Carrie Underwood and other female belters, mostly because of the type of voice I have. As a group we sing anything from pop, to rock, to jazz with artists like Jay Sean and Michael Bublé and even from shows like Glee and Nashville.
Street: Where is your favorite place to sing? RG: As part of Dischord my favorite gig was definitely when we went to the Silver Chord Bowl last year at Smith College and performed with the Dartmouth Aires and Berkeley’s Pitch Slapped, two groups who were on The Sing Off...so that was pretty awesome. Personally, I have a habit of singing while walking down the street - it’s funny seeing people’s reactions, especially when I’m singing one of my backgrounds. Apparently “jin jin jho” isn’t quite so normal to people outside of the a cappella world.
Street: Have you seen Pitch Perfect? RG: Yes, I have seen it. Too many times.
Street: Which character would you be and why? RG: This is where I should totally say Fat Amy, cause she’s awesome, but nah, I’m not that cool. I’d have to say Jesse mostly because he’s secretly nerdy and kinda weird. And that’s just me. Ask my roommates.
Street: Why did you choose Dischord? RG: Choosing an a cappella group is about as nerve wracking as choosing a college, a Greek organization, or a significant other. It comes down to so much more than just the singing or the reputation of the group. I chose Dischord because it was the most diverse group I saw and I wanted to be exposed to more than my little Jewish bubble. They were also so friendly when I walked in to audition, which not only made me want to be part of the group, but also made me a better auditonee because they set my nerves at ease.
Street: Who is your musical idol? RG: I know this sounds cheesy, but Dischord is my idol…namely each individual and their voice. It’s hard to idol famous singers because their talent seems so unattainable sometimes. There are people in my group who sing completely differently from how I do and who can do things with their voice that I didn’t think I ever could. It’s cool to have them around because they can teach me these things and allow this new talent to be attainable.
Street: When can we come see Dischord perform? RG: April 6 in Meyerson B6! — Caroline Quigley
