As the familiar opening of “Royals” by Lorde plays as Senior Cheyenne Parker along with Juniors Samantha Barragan and and Carly Loveland record their cover that is now their most popular video.
Parker released her first cover at the end of sophomore year, singing Britney Spears’ “Toxic” with Junior Daniela Leon. From there, she continued to make videos with her friends, covering popular songs as well as some classic ones.
“I like singing and I thought [making videos] was the only way to do it,” Parker said. “I like seeing what people have to say and it’s interesting to see what people think.”
When Parker discovered that her cover of “Royals” had reached so many views, she credited it to the popularity of the song. However, the majority of her comments praised her voice and rendition of the up and coming song.
“It was really exciting and kinda scary,” Parker said. “We didn’t know it would actually become so popular. We were doing it to do it because we really liked the song.”
Parker chooses songs based on what’s popular and also what’s stuck in her head. Her videos often consist of her and her friends, but those take much more time because of the time needed to split up the verses. By herself, she can usually post in her video within five takes.
This year, Parker and Leon also won the talent show with a Miley mashup that captured the audience.
“My mom always told me I could sing,” Parker said. “That gave me confidence that I could actually do it. She always brags to her friends that it’s nice and annoying.”
Although Parker enjoys performing onstage, her videos lighten her fear of making a mistake and seeing the audience’s immediate reaction. Currently, Parker has made 36 videos and more than 2,200 people subscribe to her channel, Cheyenne2996.
“It’s kinda embarrassing sometimes,” Parker said. “My friends will be like, look up her cover on Youtube, in front of a class. It’s kinda nice though, people actually recognize me.”
TCHS School Newspaper