Blue Hawk Records (BHR) released their first-ever holiday song, “Wrap Me Up,” on Dec. 10. Despite this being a first for the University’s student-run record label, the project was able to come together in only a matter of days, said Specialist Professor and Department Chair Joe Rapolla. The song consists of 11 vocalists, two saxophones, drums, piano, guitar, and many more instruments played by club members who were eager for the song’s release.
“I had the idea of writing and releasing a holiday song, but I thought it would’ve been too late to execute because it was already the week before Thanksgiving break,” said BHR President Abby Garcia. “However, I brought it up to the team that day and by the end of the meeting the foundation of our song was there.”
BHR member Jeff Mendez led the group’s writing session by jumping on the piano, taking inspiration from chord ideas from Rapolla, while e-board members Mike Viani and Cam Bacon brainstormed ideas on the guitar. At the same time, others worked collaboratively to write lyrics that would get listeners in the holiday spirit.
Just a few days later, BHR took to the new studio workstation at Lauren K. Woods Theatre for an open-to-all studio session. Members were able to walk in when they were available throughout the day to contribute their vocals.
“This was one of my favorite projects to record,” said Blue Hawk Studio President Viani, who produced the song. “I have never worked on a song with this many singers and collaborators before and I could not have done it without them. Making a Christmas holiday song with laughter and joy certainly translated into the final product.”
“Wrap Me Up” is out now on streaming platforms, along with BHR’s recently released biannual compilation album, “Chapter XXIII,” which debuted on Dec. 8. The music video for “Wrap Me Up” is now available to watch on YouTube.