Freshman singing group In All Seriousness posts videos on Instagram

In an Instagram video posted Nov. 21, freshman Anjali Nuggehalli, Kavita Sundaram and Sanjana Somayajula sit side by side singing “Sweater Weather” by The Neighborhood and gradually transition to “Royals” by Lorde while Sundaram strums her guitar. Their voices blend together during the chorus, yet stand alone during the beginning notes.

Bonded by a mutual love for singing, the three girls formed a singing group called In All Seriousness last March.

The group has an Instagram account, @inallseriousnessmusic, which as of Dec. 2 has 280 followers and eight posts. The account features videos of the girls singing popular songs such as “No Tears Left to Cry” by Ariana Grande and “Everything Has Changed” by Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran.

All three girls have always enjoyed singing and have taken singing lessons outside of school. Sundaram and Nuggehalli have learned various types music including pop, show tunes and jazz. Somayajula studies Indian classical, or “Carnatic,” music and is in choir.

When Nuggehalli suggested that they combine their talents and form a music group last March, Somayajula and Sundaram thought it was a great idea.

“I turned to them and said, ‘Hey guys, we should create a singing group,’” Nuggehalli said. “I was kind of joking about it, but it turned into something more serious.”

From there, the girls began to practice and record videos of them singing together at each other's houses.

The hardest part, they say, is choosing a song that most people know and adding interesting elements, like slightly changing the melody to make it sound unique.

The girls initially recorded covers of individual songs but have recently started posting mashups, such as one combining “Titanium,” “Elastic Heart” and “The Greatest”  by Sia.

The girls take turns singing the main and supporting parts. Nuggehalli usually sings the higher part while Sundaram and Somayajula sing the lower parts.
Sundaram said that it takes the girls about seven tries to record the final video after choosing a piece and practicing it. They “try to post only their best content,” she said, which they usually film using an iPhone and an iPhone stand.

Currently, the fan base of In All Seriousness consists mostly of friends and family, but the group hopes to gain more exposure through their Instagram account and perhaps other social media platforms.

One of their biggest supporters is Sundaram’s mother, Shankari Panchapakesan, who does not have an Instagram account but views the final videos in person.

“[The girls] are able to pursue a passion and get recognition and visibility amongst their peer group,” Panchapakesan said. “There is a lot of positive reaffirmation, which is great fuel to pursuing their singing.”
However, Panchapakesan also noted the complications in pushing the girls deeper into the world of social media, referencing a  culture on Instagram that obsesses over likes and followers as a superficial measure of talent.
While the group has not been recognized by any famous singing accounts or celebrities, Sundaram said that people they do not know have commented on their videos, which is really exciting.

The group tries to meet and post a video on Instagram once a week. However, schoolwork and other extracurriculars sometimes prevent that. Sundaram hopes the group can have a regular meeting schedule in order to post and film more often.

“We want to keep posting more videos and get our videos to be of higher quality in what we sing, how we sing and how we film,” Sundaram said.
The girls hope to share their passion with others and continue doing what they love.
“It’s two awesome things combined in one,” Sundaram said. “I get to be with some of my best friends so it’s really fun to sing with them and have an end product that we’re really proud of.”