How did it feel to win?
Pretty great, of course, but also relieving. I couldn’t tell you how many hours, late nights and early Sunday mornings the boys had given up for House Music practices. The build up to Big and Small House is always unlike any other House event and to win the title of overall winner just reminded us that it was all worth it. Given it was Greenbank’s first time winning the overall House Music trophy, we all couldn’t help it but embrace an extra feeling of pride having helped make history for the house — easily a feeling most of us won’t forget.
How did you choose your song/s and why do you think they worked?
Picking the right song for both Big and Small House was in no way as easy as we first thought, given that we needed to change our Small House song a few weeks into practising. For Small House we tried to choose a song that showcased the pretty incredible talent in our band but was also comfortable for the singers to sing. An extra bonus with Livin La Vida Loca by Ricky Martin was that it was an easy song to mix up and change around for the band as well as for us singers to enjoy and have a good time with. That was the same deal with our Big House song, Can’t Stop the Feeling by Justin Timberlake, along with the added benefit of it being a catchy tune most people already knew. That meant it wasn’t too hard to teach the lyrics and tune to the boys.
What was the vibe in the House in the lead-up to the competition and after winning?
I knew that we had done the work and were ready to own the stage once we came to the day of Big House. We were all clearly sick of practising and listening to our song over and over by then. Honestly, although I knew we were all pumped with adrenaline, it was a pretty relaxed vibe in the House and in the arena beforehand, knowing that we needed to save our energy. It was a whole different story after winning however.
Do you have any tips for Houses hoping to take your title next year?
Leading Big House was a huge learning experience. Managing a House of 120 talkative, loud and, most of the time, tired boys for practices isn’t easy. So finding methods of how to manage them will help. Also, I made sure early on that we knew what the judges were looking for from a Big House performance. At the end of the day, Big House is mostly a singing competition and that’s what we Greenbank prefects tried to focus on for most practices. A chat with your House’s previous Head of Culture about how they tackled House Music wouldn’t hurt either. I also used the many practises as an opportunity to get to know the boys in the House better. Organisation, knowing when to have fun and making sure everyone was on the same page was also important.
