UConn A Cappella Group Finalists In Contest To Sing With Lady Antebellum

An a caPpella group from the University of Connecticut is in the final running for a chance to perform with Lady Antebellum.

The group, Rubyfruit, entered the contest with a video performing the song “American Honey,” and was chosen for the top five.

“I’m a huge country fan,” says Lauren DeMio, a member of RubyFruit. “I follow Lady Antebellum on Twitter, and saw at the beginning of September that they were hosting this contest.”

The group is now relying on votes to win. Members of public are allowed to vote once a day, every day, until October 19.

DeMio said Rubyfruit started in 1999 as the first all female student a cappella group at UConn. The group already had a rendition of American Honey on the books from a performance previous school year. They brought back Nikki Verost, who sang solo but had graduated in the spring, to record the video.

“We just did it and hoped for the best, not knowing really what was going to happen.” said DeMio. “So far it’s been really great- we’ve gotten a lot of support from UConn and all the students.”

According to the contest website, the grand prize is the chance to perform with Lady Antebellum in Nashville this December. The runners up get a slew of band merchandise, including backpacks and sweatpants (which would come in handy for shuffling to a late brunch at the dining hall).

On their Facebook page, Rubyfruit lists their next performances as UConn First Night on Friday, followed by a CD release concert on Oct 20. If things go their way, they’ll be able to add a December date in Nashville.

Click here to vote for their entry, and click here to see all the finalists.