Shades of Blue Red Carpet Premiere Recap: Previewing the Album

By Micah Gallebo

Staff Writer

The following story was written by a student on the staff of The Jaguar Times as part of Hilliard Bradley High School’s Journalism Production course.

(Shades of Blue A Cappella poses on the red carpet. Photo by Micah Gallebo)

The Shades of Blue Red Carpet Album Premiere event was held on Monday, March 13 on the Hilliard Bradley Stage. Shades of Blue is a renowned vocal group whose work has been featured all over the world. The group consists of 17 members that meet everyday during eighth period to perfect the craft of what we know to be a cappella. They are nominated for multiple a Cappella awards, and recently took the title of first place in the ICHSA Midwest Quarterfinal Competition earlier this month. The two hour exclusive event was the first look at the group's debut album titled “Brighter Days”. This nine track album (10 track digital release) features works from many generations of the group. The album includes work from past and present group members, with projects ranging from late 2020-Present.

Shades of Blue is a 17 member a cappella group that meets everyday during eighth period to perfect the craft of what we know to be a cappella. Throughout the event, Shades members were asked what their favorite experience has been so far. When asked about her experience, Sydney Driscoll (11) says, “It’s my first year in shades so I’m pretty lucky to be competing in my first year.” Shades of Blue recently performed at the ICHSA Quarterfinals, placing first, and is moving on to semifinals and a chance to compete in New York. “I’m really excited to be going to semifinals, '' Sydney adds. Jared (11) shares “Getting to compete for the first time was so amazing, and getting to see [some] other really talented groups was so fun.” Quinn Mazon shares her favorite part of Shades of Blue. “[My favorite part so far] is definitely competing, but also the people. I always felt like I didn't [really] fit in anywhere, but since I’ve been in shades, I feel like I should be here.” The red carpet showcased how special the group really is. Kyle Metzler (12) adds to how special the group is. “My favorite part is the family we’ve created. Everyday we’re together and it’s just so fun to be with your friends everyday.”

The Shades of Blue A Cappella Program is directed by Bradley music teachers, Ms. Schott, Wr. Witt, and Mrs. Burkett. When asked to share their favorite part about mentoring the group, Shades director and choir teacher Ms. Schott says, “Seeing the growth from the beginning of the year until now, is really rewarding.” Hilliard Memorial choir teacher and Shades director Mrs. Burkett adds, “I’ve taught most of them since seventh grade, so it’s been [awesome] to see them mature into these amazing young adults and see them have so much success this year.” Mr. Witt continues the praise by adding his favorite part of mentoring the group. “Just seeing the growth of the group over the course of the year. From the beginning [of the school year] not many of them knew each other, and we had a lot of people from different [parts] of the school come together and grow and develop as a group.”

Shades of Blue debut album “Brighter Days” will be released on Friday March 17, and features tracks spanning the course of three years. When asked about the recording process, Mr. Witt shares, “Three years ago we started recording for the first time. Last year we upped our game by recording four singles and releasing them over the course of the spring and summer.” The group released singles, That Way, Control, Gold, and How Will I Know. Mr Witt adds, “Going into recording this year, we thought [to] record another set of songs and [combine] last year’s set to create a full length album.” The album features all of last year’s releases, Exile released in 2021, and this year’s five brand new recordings. The Album “Brighter Days” will be released on streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music and will also be sold on CD.

When asked about their favorite track off the project, Mr. Witt and Mrs. Burkett both liked “Love Me Now” the best. Ms Schott shared her favorite track is “Apple Pie”. Jared and Sydney share “Outsider” as their favorite track and Quinn says her favorite track is “Control”. Kyle Metzler shares his favorite is the title track of the album, “Brighter Days”. Be sure to check out some of the members favorite tracks, and Shades of Blue’s debut album “Brighter Days”. The album will be released tomorrow, March 17th, and can be streamed on Apple Music and Spotify.