Purple lights cast an eerie glow on the stage in Emerson Auditorium. Low, soft covers of songs I was pretty sure I knew played on the speakers. Attendees filed in slowly, filling the first half of the auditorium easily but leaving the back half sparsely populated. The show was about to start: Stranger Sings, The Sensasians and Sur Taal Laya’s (STL) 80s-themed fall concert.

The show opened with PL4Y, a K-pop dance cover group, performing “Boom” by NCT Dream. Their black and white outfits, highlighted with strips of bright yellow, felt more like something from a cyberpunk club than from the 80s. All the dancers maintained a serious expression for the entire performance, and their coordinated, smooth moves drew cheers from the audience.

That enthusiasm persisted as Sur Taal Laya took the stage. Decked out in jean jackets and tinted sunglasses, the group gathered in the center of the stage, looking as if they could’ve just come off the set of “Stranger Things.” For any audience members who attended Diwali, their first song was familiar—a mashup of “Talk Dirty” by Jason Derulo and “Humma Humma” by OK Jaanu, featuring soloists freshman Faris Shaikh and junior Samika Kikkeri.

Grace Bruton | Student Life

Sensasians perform in their spring show, “Crazy Rich Sensasians,” last semester. Sensasians were joined by Sur Taal Laya and PL4Y for their show, “Stranger Sings,” this past weekend.

All of Sur Taal Laya’s other mashups fit together well, and they show off the group’s talented vocalists. However, there is one area where they come up just a bit short. Both “Talk Dirty” and their later mashup performance of “Havana” by Camila Cabello miss the sort of low, seductive tone required by the songs. On other songs, though, the group brought the emotion—a mashup of “Raabata” by Nikhita Ghandi and “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars was both catchy and genuine. The soloists—sophomore Priyanka Iyer and junior Anya Pawar—stole the show, but the arrangement backed them up nicely, fading away near the end of the song, as Iyer and Pawar sang the last line by themselves to loud applause.

The Sensasians’ performance before the break was also on the 80s theme. Most members wore bulky, brightly colored jackets and a few sported colorful scrunchies. However, their first two songs were anything but joyful—the Sensasians opened with “When I Was Older” by Billie Eilish, and there’s no word for their performance but ‘spooky.’ The arrangement whispered words I couldn’t quite make out, growing louder but still incomprehensible. Soloist sophomore Lacy Wilder’s voice accentuated the atmosphere, and soloist junior Jihoun Im’s voice layered with hers to make Eilish’s lyrics echo. The arrangement grew louder, nearly reaching a scream, before falling abruptly silent, leaving Wilder and Im to finish the song alone and leaving me wishing the song was just a bit longer.

The last song before the intermission, “Take You Down” by Illenium with soloist senior Mackenzie Cappelle, was equally stunning. Cappelle’s high notes were awe-inspiring and filled with emotion, and the arrangement easily kept the energy up during lyric-less sections.

For their second set, the Sensasians abandoned the 80s, stepping out in dress shirts and dresses. First, they performed another emotional number—“If You Leave Me Now” by Charlie Puth and Boyz II Men, with soloists junior Nat Thomas and sophomore Dakotah Jennifer. The arrangement amplified the song’s feeling by echoing the lyrics, supporting Thomas and Jennifer’s performances. But the real showstopper was the final song of the night: a mashup of “My New Swag” by VAVA, “No Diggity” by Black Street and “Growl” by EXO.

The mashup began with a rap by soloist and graduate student Eric Zhu and a beat that reminded the audience that a cappella doesn’t have to be emotional; it can just be a good time. Zhu and the other soloists—Cappelle, senior Meredith Liu and junior Teri Park—were energetic, and the arrangement was too. By the end, the audience was clapping along with the performers as Capelle sang the chorus of “No Diggity.”

Stranger Sings was a demonstration of what a cappella can be: emotional and impactful, but also simply enjoyable. The show was fun, not because every song was perfect every time, but because the performers never failed to bring energy and enthusiasm to their performances, and that kind of pure enjoyment is infectious.