Silver City, NM- Mustang Entertainment lived up to their name by engaging a full house of WNMU students and staff in a colorful and energetic “Lip Sync Battle.” Students ranged from solo acts to group performances, including an entire sports team taking the stage, making for a very diverse and overall wild night.
The show opened with a very intriguing trash can displayed under a warm spotlight, leaving the audience to wonder if it was left there on purpose. However, once a lively contestant named Rainbow walked onstage and the song “Money Changes Everything” by Cyndi Lauper started to play, Rainbow kicked off not only the night, but also kicked the trashcan around the stage as well. The performance had the crowd constantly cheering and Rainbow’s performance was a stunning nod to Cyndi Lauper’s style, right down to her bizarre outfits.
Our second performance brought out not just one, but three beautiful ladies to the stage, where they performed the 1994 jam “Whatta Man” by Salt-N-Pepa. Not only did they each lip sync a part of the song, but they also showed off some stunning choreography throughout their whole segment. The three ladies seemed to have a lot of fun during their time up stage, which is the most important aspect of any show.
After two sets of girl power, the boys finally took over the stage, a duo performing the popular jam “From the D to the A” by Tee Grizzley ft. Lil Yachty. The song wasn’t close to hitting two seconds before the whole audience erupted, screaming out the lyrics in excitement, as well as the names of the two participants. People from all sides rose from their seats and clapped and rapped along the performers, who also felt the same amount of excitement with the crowd. Like a true celebrity, the lead performer interacted with the crowd and even filmed himself singing along with them.
If that performance heated up the crowd, then the following one made them sizzle. Jonathan Moliga walked on stage with a cane in his hand. However, the second a familiar tune started playing, Jonathan gripped the cane and used it as a mic stand, soulfully lip syncing to the lyrics of “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye. The romantic and familiar 70’s tune wasn’t the only aspect of the performance that brought the audience’s excitement but Jonathan’s comical delivery and charisma, that and the use of more prop sunglasses than fingers could count. Frankly the people in the room cheering the performer were truly “getting it on.”
Next up, the stage welcomed three lovely ladies in matching outfits lip syncing the Destiny’s Child classic “Cater 2 U.” The trio took turns singing each part of the song that corresponded to the members of Destiny’s Child. During the first part of the show, the girls gave off a very sweet, ballet type of vibe to their song. Yet by the middle, the trio grabbed three corresponding chairs and brought them up stage. Once the chairs were in place, the girls went out to grab three gentlemen from the audience and brought them on stage. From this point on, the audience began beaming and shouting out the guys’ names and it only became louder and louder as the girls danced around their men in a sweet, yet seductive way. The continued shouting from the audience rendered the song inaudible until the very end, when the song was actually over. The performance stood out from the rest and did more than just “cater” to the crowd.
The Lip Sync Battle’s second to last show was the one and only Lady ‘Stangs! WNMU’s softball team walked on stage with matching flannel shirts and began to take turns lip syncing a medley of familiar tunes, including “1, 2 Step” by Ciara ft. Missy Elliott and “Lip Gloss” by Lil Mama. The team of energetic girls included interactive clapping with the audience and some stunning dance moves.
Finally, the event’s grand finale was taken back by the boys; a duo performing “Burn Rubber” by Club 407 ft. Joe Moses. Being a familiar tune with the audience, the crowd sang and danced along with the performers, who rapidly grew in number. The lead performer kept on pulling his friends from the audience and making them part of his show. The whole room was cheering and the positive energy was through the roof and beyond.
Meanwhile the judges took their time to come up with a final result, a member of the audience but also participant of the battle, Romello Pritchett shared his thoughts on the event. “I just wanted to dance!” quotes the energetic Las Vegan, “I came here for the entertainment, the loud music, the energy.” Romello stated that he’d participated in past lip sync battles as well.
Finally, the results were in and the audience listened carefully to the results delivered by Abe Villarreal. Third place went to Rainbow’s performance of “Money Changes Everything,” second place went to the three lovely ladies performing “Cater 2 U,” and last but most definitely not least, the winner of Homecoming 2017 Lip Sync Battle went to Jonathan Moliga and his amusing performance of “Let’s Get It On.” The winners were awarded with flex dollars.
When Jonathan was asked how he felt about winning the night, he stated that he was, “Fantastic!” and “Ecstatic!” Jonathan shared his thoughts on being number one,”I just did it on the spot, no rehearsal.”Jonathan added that this wasn’t his first time participating in a lip sync battle and says his first time was during high school. Moliga also added that his roommates had picked the song for him.
The Lip Sync Battle concluded the Homecoming festivities throughout the week. On Saturday at 10am, WNMU hosted their Homecoming Parade, followed by a tailgate party. Finally, WNMU played Odessa at 1:30pm in the annual Homecoming game.
