DHS Factor is a smashing success
By Lauren Wienker,
Bluedevilhub.com Staff–
The performances of Davis High students at DHS Factor on Friday, Nov. 20 kept the audience captivated and clapping along. Although it wasn’t the actual “X-Factor,” the spectators received a similar, amazing experience.
The MCs were junior Mitra Varjavand and senior Francis Avoce, who started off the show with some jokes, introduced each participants before every act and added comedic relief.
The first to perform were juniors Rebecca Chang and Jeanne Kim, who, along with Chang’s younger brothers, sang “Sugar” by Maroon 5. They started the night off strong with talent that engaged the audience.
Senior Isolde Pierce and sophomore Lauren Giavonetti sang “Little Things” by One Direction. The duo’s singing and guitar playing was harmonious and appreciated by the crowd.
Fan favorites and third-place finishers were seniors Dylan Lee, Ray Young, DJ Flako and Spencer Ault. The group rapped a original song “Souf Souf” about the South Davis experience. This anthem was interactive; listeners were encouraged to participate and were asked to stand up and sing along to the chorus.
“I thought that ‘Souf Souf’ was really entertaining, but I think that Lauren and Isolde did really really well, so that was probably my favorite,” senior Kirsten Chastain said.
The second-place finisher was the classic rock band made up of seniors Ben Simmons, Alex Timmons and Gabe Reynolds, as well as Ben’s older brother Brian Simmons, which also played an original piece.
The first-place finisher sophomore Abhi Vemulapati packed a powerful punch with his cover of “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran, which earned him the win. The enchanted audience slow-clapped for the duration of his song, and ended with a standing ovation.
“I am proud that I made [the show] enjoyable for the audience and I feel pretty happy [about winning], I was kind of surprised,” Vemulapati said.
Another contestant that wowed the audience was junior Devi Varma, who did Bollywood dance routine. Her sparkly dress caught the stage lights, while she caught the attention of the crowd. Every time the background music changed, cheers rang out through the theater.
Sophomore Ambrie Comer had a sultry voice like Adele and hit all the high notes while singing “Like I’m Gonna Lose You” by Meghan Trainor.
Instead of singing, junior Ethan Tran played the piano while blindfolded, and received an enthusiastic response from the audience.
Juniors Gabi and Sammi Griffiths had the crowd silent with amazement while they sang Shawn Mendes song “Stitches.”
The final performance of the night was last year’s winners: Reynolds and senior Brady Corcoran. The pair sang original songs with diverse instruments such as the mandolin, violin and the guitar.
This stunning musical event was organized by Student Government member and senior Daniel Medina. Although he didn’t perform, he was just as important as all the participants, making sure everything went smoothly.
With the help of his committee and countless others, Medina put an a show that the audience loved.
“I am most proud of how big of a turn-out it was; last year people told me it didn’t turn out so well, so I am really glad that a lot of people supported this event this year,” Medina said.
