In an attempt to take full advantage of their summer break from school, freshmen Kittrell Camp, Emily Eads and Lindsey Farley and sophomore Jordan Simpson decided to form a singing group. The friends had grown up together in school at Harding Academy and discovered their love for singing together during a talent show in 2009. Over the next two years, they continued to sing together, and in summer 20 11 they decided to take their talent to the next level. When Simpson's father told the group about "America Sings," a national music competition aired on the Gospel Music Channel, the friends decided it was worth a shot and submitted a video performance. During preparation, they came up with the name of their group, "Fourtify," creatively reflecting their musical bond. "The company in charge of the show was asking for our name," Simpson said. "We came up with the name really quick, and it stuck." With the first episode airing inJune, the group filled the roles of both performers and producers with their parents shooting the footage. Simpson's mother pieced the video footage together using eight different camera angles. The group's music video turned out to be very popular with the television audience, who voted on their favorite musical groups after each episode of "America Sings." In August, "Fourtify" placed 15th out of over 100 submissions to the show, leaving the group members Megan Read Megan Reese Chelsea Reid Tamara Rhodes Meredith Riddle Arielle Rideout Ashley Ritsema Hannah Robison Lauren Rogers Arnalda RojasJiron Carlos Romero Alvarado Daniel Roper lik~ on Landon Russell Matthew Ryan Tyler Samuel I OM~ reen on an emotional high as they prepared to come back to school. "I am very competitive about musical competitions," Camp said. "I was really excited we got 15th!" With the competition over, the excitement did not die down. "We have people ask us how we did quite often," Farley said. "After the competition, we had people ask us to sing for them, which was neat." The group was also featured in area newspapers, the first of many new opportunities made possible by the national competition. While "Fourtify" members did not plan on entering another competition soon, they all agreed that music still influenced their lives on a daily basis. ''A blending of voices reaches my heart in a different way than singing solo," Eads said. "I prefer singing in a group; the voices just hit my heart and inspire me." The group emphasized the fact that their talents were not a way to glorify themselves but a way to help others who were listening. "It's not about winning; it's about touching the lives of those you're singing for, whether you know the impact or not," Simpson said. "You may never know the stories about people being touched, but it's not about getting a reward. It's about the people you're singing for." Mallory Davis People sr
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