Three songs.
Three original songs, differing in tempo and subject matter, were all it took for MU senior Paige Flores to win the first-ever MUTV and KCOU Battle of the Bands at The Shack on Thursday night.
The other acts mixed covers and originals. Flores was the only performer to only sing her own songs. She began with “Burnam Avenue,” a song about the house she lived in her sophomore year.
In her song, she asked, “Why do all best things end too soon?”
Senior Asia Campos related to her first song.
“I was in a sorority and I really miss my sisters,” she said.
Campos liked Flores the best.
“Her songs had heart,” she said.
Flores plans to move to Nashville, Tenn. after graduation and would like to write or sing, she said. Regardless, she just wants to be in the business, Flores said.
Music is more than a potential profession to Flores. It is her passion.
“(Music) has gotten me through every moment in my life,” Flores said. “I don’t know what I would do without it.”
A recent tattoo reflects her passion for music. The tattoo reads, “If I can’t fly, let me sing.”
Flores received a $150 gift card and a free eight-hour recording session from KCOU for winning, said Brittany Litner, a member of the promotional team for MUTV. The winner was determined using a voting box inside The Shack and on Twitter, Litner said. Each act was assigned a hashtag, and people used that hashtag to vote for their act.
The event was live-streamed online so people could vote for their favorites from home, Litner said.
The win means Flores can record a professional demo, which will help when she goes to Nashville, she said.
Flores has performed around Columbia in addition to The Shack. She said her favorite place to play is Jesse Auditorium.
“It is such a historic venue,” Flores said. “I can say I stood on the same stage as fun. and Tim McGraw.”
Flores said when she performs, she likes to look people in the eye because then she doesn’t worry about messing up a lyric. Instead, it is about communicating her lyrics to the people.
In addition to Flores, four other acts performed: two solo acts and two bands.
The band The Baboonz hopes to take their music to other cities, guitarist Daniel Burke-Aguero said. The band has played at Harpo’s in Columbia.
Junior Joe Riojas opened the night armed with his amp, his guitar and his voice. He played one original song and his final cover was a four-chord song. Lintner said each act was given a three-song limit or 15 minutes, but Riojas defied the limit by finishing his performance with a cover from a song featured on “Scrubs.”
The other solo act of the night was Mike Powell, a third-year law student. He was the only act who involved the crowd in his performance with his final song and cover of Frank Turner’s “I Still Believe.”
“Everyone singing along was all the reward I needed,” Powell tweeted after his performance.
Flores was the final act to perform. She said she regretted not bringing water onto the stage, but overall, she said her performance was good. Audience members on Twitter agreed.
Sophomore Gabi Bonno tweeted to MUTV in support of Flores: “Paige Flores is the bomb #voteflores.”