Case Western Reserve University is no stranger to concerts on campus, and the University Program Board (UPB) is the students’ direct connection to great artists. As a first-year student, when I thought of the Jolly Scholar I thought of good food for a special swipe, but on Saturday, Nov. 18, I got to see Jolly in a whole new way. That Saturday, Jolly Scholar was the place to be as Frenship’s music blasted through the dancing crowd and the Thwing Center.

Many may know Frenship as the electropop duo who put out their first EP in 2016. They released their song “Capsize” in June 2016, and it boosted their popularity and got them invited to our campus.

Dominique Hall of UPB said, “’Capsize’ was a good song and was pretty popular, so I started listening to more of Frenship’s music. I also thought the electropop genre would be a good fit for CWRU students!”

UPB looked at the results of last spring’s genre survey and determined what kind of group they wanted to look into. Hall took charge of this concert and decided on Frenship based on student interest.

“Once we decide on who we would like to bring to campus, we look up their booking manager information and send them an email to see if the artist is available on our desired date,” said Zoe Nykaza, director of concerts for UPB. “If they are, we will send them a formal offer and negotiate back and forth until the offer is accepted or declined. If it is accepted, we work with our advisors to get the contract signed and coordinate details with Jolly and our production company to make sure we can rent all the sound equipment on their technical rider. Sometimes the artist won’t be available or will decline the offer; in that case, we would move on to the next artist on our list.”

However, the hard work definitely paid off. The very well-attended event was a hit among students. Frenship is a unique group that you don’t need to have previously heard to enjoy. I personally had not heard of them before the concert, and I enjoyed the show so much they are now at the top of my Spotify playlists.

First-year student Yvonne Pan said, “I heard their music over the summer and really liked them. I was super pumped when I heard they were coming to campus and they did not disappoint.”

UPB will be holding more events in the spring semester for students, and the concert series will continue both this year and into the next, as is tradition.