When A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie was announced as the headline artist for the homecoming concert, junior Kaleb Beek didn’t hesitate to sign up his student band, Poster Child, for the chance to compete for the coveted opener slot.
“I’m a huge A Boogie fan. I grew up listening to his music,” Beek said. “When I found out he was performing, I stopped everything I was doing and submitted the application straight away.”
Poster Child is a fusion of R&B and hip-hop, with Beek on vocals, Isabella Heck on bass guitar, Natacha Chacin on keys and vocals, Ethan Bowden on guitar, and Mateo Gaviria on drums.
“The idea for Poster Child came about when I noticed there wasn’t much hip-hop and R&B representation on campus,” Beek explained. “I wanted to take this rich genre of music that I love and share it with as many people as I could.”
The Band’s Big Break
Poster Child was selected as the student opener through the Battle of the Bands, an event organised by Hurricane Productions’ Concerts and Patio Jams committees. Seven student bands competed for the opportunity to perform, and Poster Child emerged as the winner.
Tatiana Calzadilla, a second-year student and country music artist, highlighted the event’s diversity, bringing together performers from a range of genres. “It’s great to have your peers choose who they want to see perform,” Calzadilla said. “It’s a chance to show your dreams on a bigger stage.”
Violet Beller, a junior and vocalist for the psychedelic-folk band Rug, added, “It’s exciting because artists who might never usually open for A Boogie get a unique opportunity. It’s a rare chance, and I think it’s great.”
Behind the Band: Poster Child
Heck, who joined Poster Child last year after seeing them perform at a forum organised by the Modern Artist Development and Entrepreneurship (MADE) program, emphasised the professional growth the opportunity provides.
“I think it’s a great chance to gain experience,” said Heck. “It’s not just about opening for A Boogie—though that’s incredible—but also about the experience of being an opener, doing a proper show, dealing with sound checks, and all the technical details behind it. It’s going to be a valuable experience for us.”
What sets Poster Child apart from typical hip-hop acts is their commitment to live instrumentation, rather than relying solely on digital production.
“What’s interesting about Poster Child is that when we play live, it’s very much a hip-hop, upbeat vibe, but it’s all live instrumentation, which isn’t something you see much these days,” said Bowden, a junior. “Having a live band play with hip-hop creates something special and different.”
Aiming for Careers in Music
The members of Poster Child are all students at the Frost School of Music, with each member planning to pursue a career in the music industry.
“Writing and performing music is something I could only have dreamed of before,” said Beek, a Bachelor of Music student in the MADE program. “I’m writing a song a day, and I have a performance every week. It’s opened my eyes to how much I love songwriting—that’s my real passion in all of this.”
Heck, a sophomore studying music engineering, shared how her time at the Frost School has broadened her view of the industry.
“Frost has really opened my eyes to all the different parts of the music world,” said Heck. “You get to see all the majors, all the interests, and all the career possibilities. It’s been an eye-opening experience.”
Debut Single: “Miss Fortune”
The performance at the homecoming concert will be particularly special for the band, as they will be debuting their first single, Miss Fortune, which will be released shortly after the event. For Poster Child, this performance marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in their musical journey.