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HELP AQUAPELLA FUND AN ALBUM

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Hi! Aquapella here. If you don’t know us, we are a 15 piece a cappella group from Bath, made up of young professionals and students. We love nothing more than performing together, creating music and entertaining, and we really, really need your help.


What do we do?

As an a cappella group with a changing roster of members every year, it is important for us that we always have a goal to aim towards. Realising our goals over the years hasn’t come without its fair share of hard work, surprises, and certainly some unexpected bumps in the road. But consistently each year we aim to be better: to create more, challenge ourselves and to somehow make a difference.

 
What have we achieved?

Aquapella was founded in 2011 and hit the ground running competing nationally, performing at the Edinburgh Fringe year on year, and releasing an EP! In 2016, after losing 11 incredible members to graduation and the majority of the group’s committee, our goal was really just to reboot the group as best we could, and have a great time in the process. However down to some very hard work, last minute risks, and a pinch of good fortune, we somehow won the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella UK Final! As UK Champions, we had the trip of a lifetime representing the UK on Broadway at the ICCA finals in NYC, thanks to the overwhelming generosity we received in raising the funds to get us there in just a few weeks.

That experience gave us the confidence to think on an even larger scale, and this year we really wanted to create something meaningful. So we went back to the drawing board, and in spring of this year embarked on our first ever UK Tour. 'I Wouldn’t Be' took us from Cardiff to London, Oxford and Bath, performing with 9 incredible university and semi-pro groups across some stunning venues. We also took a brief hiatus in Birmingham to attend and compete at the Voice Festival UK where we were honoured to win the competition, take home a handful of awards, and most importantly meet and perform alongside some first class UK groups. The 'I Wouldn’t Be' tour featured brand new music and choreography, which the group are very proud of- but at the heart of the show was its message. Our focus throughout this year, including the tour, has been to raise awareness and funds for the UK mental health charity Mind, a charity and cause very close to our hearts. As our final goal of the year, we released 'Purple Rain' as a charity single and video. This tour was an experience we will never forget and we can’t wait to be wrapping it up at the Edinburgh Fringe this August, continuing to raise funds for this worthwhile charity.

 
Why do we deserve your investment?

 We are so proud of all of our achievements up to this point- they are truly a product of blood, sweat and tears, and hours upon hours of dedication, rehearsals and perseverance. All of the milestones we have reached feel incredibly special to us, and they’ve really only left us with one clear next step: an album.

 An ALBUM. We want to create a permanent body of work for you and for us, one that we can all revisit time and time again. It has taken years to get to a position where we feel ready, and to have enough music that we feel deserves inclusion on a full length, legitimate, no-corners-cut, album. For us, an album will be an enduring reminder of the work we have done over the years and the memories we have created together. For you, it will (hopefully) be a unique collection of music that you will want to play in the office on loop, tell your neighbours about and sing from the top of your lungs in the shower!


Is it really that expensive?  

 We are proud to have been very self sufficient in funding projects in the past, budgeting for performing at the Edinburgh Fringe and music videos alike, achieved through busking in Bath and gigging throughout the year. However, we don’t think any amount of busking could cut the mustard for this particular project! Unfortunately, we don’t receive any support from a higher authority, as we are not affiliated with any official sponsors or organisations. We are definitely no strangers to making it work with what we have, and fundraising ourselves in fact the group solely runs on the drive and ambition of its members. However, for a project as large as this, we are in a position that we need to ask for your support to help us reach this goal.

As a group consisting mainly of students, we usually hail at the altar of frugality, but when it comes to Aquapella, we don’t do things by halves. We could record an album on a budget, try do it all ourselves, or cut a few corners in the process, however- with this project we really feel it’s go hard or go home! This is a once in a lifetime experience for the current group, and if we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it right.

 If we meet our target, the album will be recorded with the US based professional recording company, The Vocal Company. They are the best in the business, and each step will be monitored and carried out by the best person possible for the job. Recording an album has an array of different steps: the initial recording involves recording 15 voices, per song, and each person must record their part twice (we’ll let you do the maths on that!). Editing the track to make sure the basics are all spot on is the 2nd process. Mixing is arguably the most important process, it's what really MAKES the track, so that you can actually pick out different parts and hear things you maybe would have missed in a live setting. Getting the right person to do this for every track is so important at this stage. Finally, mastering, which is the top coat, the glossy finish that ties everything together.


 This album is the culmination of 8 years of hard work, commitment and talent. We cannot wait for you to hear what we’ve been working so hard on, and we truly feel ready to take this opportunity and run with it! 

We honestly cannot do this alone- anything you can donate would be so much appreciated. Please help us reach this monumental milestone!

 If you want to know more, or would like to donate privately, please don’t hesitate to contact us at [email redacted] for details.




REWARDS:

£10 - Social media shout out

£15 - Lucky Dip! - Suggest a song in the comments and at the end of the campaign we will randomly select one of the songs for a full cover. We will also give you a shout out on social media!

£25 - Pre-release digital download of the album, plus all of the previous rewards!

£50 - Have your name credited on the album for making it possible, plus all of the previous rewards!

£100 - Nominate a group member to cover a song of your choice, plus all of the previous rewards!

£200 - Receive a limited edition Aquapella poster signed by members of the group past and present, plus all of the previous rewards!

£500 - A 30 second a cappella cover of a song of your choice dedicated to you.

£2,000 - A full arrangement of a song of your choice.

Organizer and beneficiary

Holly Perrin
Organizer
Oliver Peel
Beneficiary

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