On Monday, Nov. 10, McCallie Dining Hall resonated with the sounds of guitar strums and lovely vocals as MTSU student and aspiring musician David Vandelay performed both his original music and covers.
Vandelay did covers of Sabrina Carpenter’s “Please Please Please” and “Taste.”The artist closed his set with a cover of Don McLean’s 1971 hit “Vincent.” While performing his original song “Hindsight,” which was supposed to be the last song of his set, he remembered a song he used to play at his shows.
“I used to always close my sets back in South Carolina with this song, and I wanted to close this one the same way,” Vandelay said.
Vandealy is an audio production major at MTSU from Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been singing for as long as he can remember. The pop singer is inspired by artists like Sabrina Carpenter, The 1975 and Spanish pop star Rosalía.
“My dad taught me the piano when I was really young, and that’s where my love of music comes from,” Vandelay said.
Vandelay released an EP called “All Fun … All The Time!” in November 2023. The EP is a collection of songs; the album has no particular meaning.
“My whole philosophy is that I’m not trying to be that deep or anything, I’m here to have fun, and I hope you have fun listening to it,” Vandelay said.
Vandelay showcased his fun side during his performance by displaying emotion in his songs and taking song suggestions.
“It was a fun, nice, groovy performance. I liked that it got people involved,” Alex Robereke, staff member at McCallies, said.
Students who were dining would sometimes clap along or sing along to the music. Staff members would occasionally sing and dance along to Vandelay’s singing. Vandelay received a large round of applause from the crowd after completing a song. When the set concluded, various students approached the artist, asking for autographs and photos.
Two students, Racheal Ottman and Kirsten Hall, have been fans of Vandelay since last year. The two have supported his performances since the first time they met him. Despite the challenges of performing in a busy dining hall, Vandelay appeared completely at ease on stage.
“I thought everything he did was so natural and entertaining, and he really made McCallie feel like a concert hall”, Ottman said.
Both Ottman and Hall have been longtime supporters of Vandelay, attending nearly all of his campus performances.
“He was performing for over an hour, and this is the longest I’ve heard him perform, and there was never a dull moment; it was truly entertaining the whole time,” Hall said.
As Vandelay’s performance ended, he thanked the crowd and the university for having him at McCallies and told the audience that he had a lot of fun playing for them.
To contact the features editor, email [email protected].
For more news, visit www.mtsusidelines.com, and follow us on Facebook at MTSU Sidelines and on X and Instagram at @mtsusidelines. Also, sign up for our weekly newsletter here.
