Singer-songwriter Angie K, who has competed on the acclaimed TV show The Voice and been featured in Rolling Stone as one of their “10 New Country Artists You Need to Know”, performed at Harper College for a free acoustic concert during the first week of classes.
To kick off the Spring 2025 semester, Harper Dining and Student Engagement teamed up to host the “Coffeehouse Afternoon Concert featuring Angie K” at the Starbucks Lounge in Building D on January 15th from 1-3pm.
The Harper community gathered to hear the Nashville-based artist, who makes country music with a nod to her Latin roots. She performed some of her original songs including Laredo and Death of Me– a song featured on her self-titled EP that releases February 7th.
The artist also covered a variety of songs from the blues, country, and Latin pop genres.
Both first-year students Julia Mazurkiewicz and Alyssa Westry shared that their favorite rendition was Dolly Parton’s Jolene.
“I love the way she sang it,” Westry said. “It was so beautiful.”
Angie K took song requests all afternoon, and as she was trying to find the correct register to sing Chappell Roan’s Pink Pony Club in, theatre student Hannah Miller started singing it from her seat in the audience.
Angie did not hesitate, and invited Miller to the front of the lounge to perform the fan-favorite pop song together.
Attendance for the event reached a peak of approximately 30 audience members. Melanie Duchaj, Coordinator of Student Engagement, reflected on the event turnout.
“We’ve had a lot of students come through between their classes and stop and listen while they can, which was one of our goals for the coffee house– to meet more students where they were between their courses,” Duchaj said.
Erin Graff, Manager of Student Engagement, described the event as “a nice, relaxing opportunity to create connection amongst students here at Harper.”
The Harper Mobile App also played a role in the event as students who checked in received a 25 percent discount on any Starbucks beverage, which was provided for by Harper Dining.
This was not the first time Angie K performed at Harper. Her first debut was at last year’s Fall Fest, where her voice filled the quad. The artists said she enjoys performing at Harper, which offers a different experience than her usual gigs.
“It’s really nice to be back in a place where you can really catch up with people,” she said. “[It’s a] less manic environment than a festival where you see someone you like, [but] you never get time to talk to them.”
Angie K’s advice for students looking to enter the music industry is to “work smarter, not harder… just enjoy your community. Spend equal amounts of time giving to it as much as you try to take from it, and things really just kinda open on their own.”
Students interested in giving suggestions for future events or artists they would enjoy seeing at Harper are encouraged to email Student Engagement at [email protected].
Readers can find Angie K on her socials @officalangiek and check out her Spotify for music and upcoming events.
For upcoming Harper events, check out Harper College’s Event Calendar, follow @harperstudentengagement, and stay posted on @harbstudentnews.
