Each year, the scholastic programs in Varsity Vocals see some incredible talent cross their stages. Many of the standouts from ICHSA and ICCA competitions have moved on to successful music careers of their own. However, making the jump from scholastic a cappella star to professional musician can be a difficult and daunting leap. 

That’s where Amanda Newman, executive director of Varsity Vocals, decided to step in and help fill in the gap. Her new initiative, GlowUp, holds its debut show in Los Angeles this week and aims to help the amazing artists emerging out of ICCA and ICHSA with showcases, networking, and logistical support.

Newman has seen the likes of Sara Bareilles and John Legend grace the ICCA stage. When asked what inspired GlowUp, Newman recalled India Carney’s appearance with The Scattertones at ICCA Finals in 2014. 

“At the afterparty, I talked to her mom and distinctly said: She’s going to make it,” Newman recalled. 

The same thing happened with Malia Civetz of the SoCal Vocals two years later. Carney later went on to compete on "The Voice" and is headed out on tour with Katy Perry. Civetz’s latest single, "Champagne Clouds," is getting some major radio airplay.

Most recently, Varsity Vocals kicked off a new series, the AcaOpen. Young professional group Vocalight finished in third place in the finals, and alto Lilli Wilder took home outstanding soloist. 

The New York Times editor pointed her out in his article and, when chatting with Newman asked, “Who was that girl? She was incredible. She has an IT factor.” 

Newman found Wilder through social media, shared this feedback, and asked what she was doing. The answer was singing with Vocalight and rolling burritos at Chipotle. This answer was unacceptable to Newman — no one with that much talent should be supplementing their income with a fast-food job. She needed to figure out how to help.

“You see certain people come through and they have an amazing solo, but there is also something special about them," Newman said. "However, making it in the music business takes a lot of resources that most young people are not equipped with, so I put some thought into what Varsity Vocals and the broader a cappella community could do to support them.”

Even without formal music industry experience, Newman took her experience leading Varsity Vocals, penning deals with Universal for "Pitch Perfect," and working on "Sing It On" and employed her scrappy hustle to get things in motion. 

After an exciting meeting last month in Los Angeles with a big-name management company, music industry officials are definitely showing interest in these a cappella stars heading into the first GlowUp on Tuesday, March 13, at The Peppermint Club in LA.

Newman admitted she was wowed by how expensive the venues are in Los Angeles for artists — a barrier that makes it hard for a single artist to foot the bill without splitting the bill and income with other artists. So, she set it up herself and is marketing it to industry people who will take this show and turn into more opportunities for the featured performance.

There are 11 singers featured in the showcase and each artist will sing two songs. The first lineup includes:

Lilli Wilder (Eleventh Hour, Vocalight)
Grace Klonoski (Enharmonic Fusion)
Kenton Chen (SoCal Vocals, Backbeats)
Jej Milllanes (SoCal Vocals)
Kyana Fanene (OSA Vocal Rush, Pitch Slapped, D Cappella)
Christine Noel (Pitch Slapped)
Mark Joseph (Pitch Slapped, The House Jacks)
Allie Feder Kramer (SoCal Vocals, Pitch Perfect)
Sam Creighton (Nor’Easters, Musae)
Kaylah Baker (SoCal Vocals)
Segun Oluwadele (SoCal Vocals)

The program is just getting off the ground, but Newman hopes that this is just the beginning. Connections are coming together and the goal is to get these artists in front of as many audiences as possible, in LA and beyond.

How does it keep moving forward? With your help.

Come to the event if you are in town. Or, just click "interested" on Facebook and share it with your friends. Show that you are excited about GlowUp and it will help bring in more interest from the music industry, which is paying attention.

Really want to help? Go a step further and follow the artists. The more fans and followers an artist has the more likely they are to get picked up by major representation.

A cappella army, rise up.