{"id":30115,"date":"2018-05-04T10:56:50","date_gmt":"2018-05-04T14:56:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/creator\/creator\/?p=30115"},"modified":"2020-02-26T14:27:15","modified_gmt":"2020-02-26T19:27:15","slug":"calculasian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/community-stories\/member-spotlight\/calculasian","title":{"rendered":"College friends come together \u2018in complete harmony\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When six members of a collegiate a cappella group were getting ready to graduate from the University of California at Berkeley in 2013, they decided to put together one last medley of songs before going their separate ways. Performed in Mandarin, the<\/span> medley of 30 songs<\/span><\/a> showed the evolution of pop music in China. They called themselves Calculasian because their alma mater\u2019s nickname is \u201cCal\u201d and, as member Chen Chen puts it, \u201cWell, we were basically all nerds.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To the group\u2019s surprise, the video became an instant viral sensation. Within two days, they\u2019d garnered more than 10,000 views on YouTube and 100,000 on the Chinese video platform Youku. The six singers, who at the time were spread out across California, New York, Taiwan, and mainland China, started to wonder if they could make the long-distance relationship work.<\/span>                          <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
To the group\u2019s surprise, Calculasian’s first video became an instant viral sensation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

They began recording tracks and shooting videos individually, then piecing them together digitally. Though their initial videos were well received, the members of Calculasian quickly encountered some challenges.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen we\u2019re together, it works a lot better,\u201d Chen says. \u201cIf one person doesn\u2019t know what to do, we can step in and inspire each other. It\u2019s always good to brainstorm together. Right after we arrange a song, we can sing together and test the arrangements.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chen says when the group manages to be in the same room, it can also be nerve-wracking.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen we do get together,\u201d she says, \u201cwe also feel so pressured to use every spare moment to its fullest.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
At last month\u2019s Shanghai Creator Awards\u2014sponsored by WeWork\u2014most of the group reunited to perform for packed house.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Even though they live in different parts of the world, the members continue promoting Calculasian. Chen and Alex He, both based in Shanghai, connect with the group\u2019s fan base, most of whom are in Asia. Ziming Li, who works full time as a musician in Los Angeles, mixes the group\u2019s song alongside more experienced producers.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At last month\u2019s Shanghai Creator Awards\u2014sponsored by WeWork\u2014most of the group reunited to perform for packed house. Two members sent in recorded tracks, while the other four appeared onstage. The crowd of just over 2,000 people was by far their biggest audience yet.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With their prize money of about $18,000, the members of Calculasion hope to explore more traditional Chinese music.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c<\/b>We want to be different,\u201d says Chen. \u201cOne idea is to incorporate more music from China\u2019s various ethnic minorities, to capture the diversity of music here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than anything, they want to share the magic of a cappella music to a wider audience.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe all hang on to the feeling we first had when singing together in college,\u201d Chen says. \u201cWhen you\u2019re in a circle with other friends and singing together and producing something that sounds so good, you\u2019re in complete harmony.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Calculasian’s first video surprised everyone by garnering more than 100,000 views on social media<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1680,"featured_media":30120,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43903,43911],"tags":[502,508,1482,30177],"class_list":["post-30115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-stories","category-member-spotlight","tag-creativity","tag-flexibility","tag-apac","tag-creator"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCollege friends come together \u2018in complete harmony\u2019<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Calculasian's first video surprised everyone by garnering more than 100,000 views on social media.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" 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