By Kade Loomis, Staff Writer
When people think of Ouachita, they probably think of a few different things:the color purple, the tiger, BOTR week, southwest Arkansas and so many other things. Perhaps most of all, people think of Tiger Tunes. Arguably the most well-known OBU tradition, Tiger Tunes has been happening for over 40 years, and its popularity has grown every year. The myriad clubs that are a part of Tiger Tunes are essential for the show to happen, but there are others on the stage. The Tunes Hosts, also known as Hohos, are the eight faces of Tiger Tunes for any given year, the connecting thread that ties all of the acts together. Just recently, auditions for Tunes Host 2025 were held, and hosts decided
The application and audition process is pretty straightforward. You were given a form to fill out online, and then you would receive an email with a selection of songs to sing acapella, which is not to be confused with the songs you sing at the end of the audition. The audition process itself all happens on a Saturday. Nathan Price, one of next year’s hosts, explained what audition day looked like. “We got there at nine a.m. , and from nine to 11 am. we learned a dance, and did dance auditions in groups of three,” Price explained. “After that we did our acapella selection, so we sang a song from the selection they had given us, sang it by ourselves in front of the judges, took a break, then came back and got ready for our prepared selection.”
So now we know what the process was like, but what were the judges looking for? Along with Nathan Price, I spoke to Brandon Holloway and Logan Babel, two of last year’s hosts. All three said that the thing that the judges are looking for is stage presence. Holloway touches on what that means. Halloway touched on what that meant. “They’re looking for stage presence, and how you’re dealing with people that day, because whether you’re actually doing your one on one or your acapella part, the judges see every part of the audition.”
Here, Babel chimed in as well. “I would say too, ‘stage presence’ does not mean walking around the stage or just trying to move more. It means authenticity and vulnerability. You can have a tremendous stage presence and stand still. It’s about connection, that’s what brings the presence, not just ‘am I taking more steps.’” Another way to look at that is to ask, are you controlling the stage or is the stage controlling you.
Babel gave one piece of advice to the new hosts that will be taking the Tiger Tunes stage this fall. “Don’t try to be the hosts that you saw, and if you’re auditioning again don’t try to live up to what you did last time or outlive it.”
