Rose Hill may have a campus, but here at Lincoln Center, we have something they do not: the Campus Activities Board’s annual Winterfest on Jan. 31. The intimate, cheap and fun Friday night celebration of music is not only a great way to bring the campus together, but also only an elevator ride (or a Ram Van trip for Rose Hill students) and $5.65 away! Every year, students are given the opportunity to vote on a big-name artist to play the festival, plus an opportunity to take the stage themselves as an opener. This year’s lineup was Queer Theory, Ms. Worldwide and Ashe.
The first opener, Queer Theory, consisted of four members. Kat, their platinum blonde lead singer, had an overall appearance and vocal quality comparable to Hayley Williams. The guitarist, Sarah, often did double duty with backing vocals and even took lead vocals in a song or two. Their bassist, JJ, immediately captured your attention with their riffs and bright green hair. And last, but most certainly not least, Sam, the drummer, who, although hidden from view behind the other three band members, makes their presence known, hitting every beat flawlessly and keeping everyone together — which is of utmost importance.
With hits like “Red Wine Supernova” by Chappell Roan and “Bags” by Clairo, Queer Theory had everyone singing along.
A good band is nothing without a good song, and their setlist suited the band well and was well-catered to the audience. With hits like “Red Wine Supernova” by Chappell Roan and “Bags” by Clairo, Queer Theory had everyone singing along, and with “You and I” by Lady Gaga and “Right Through You” by Alanis Morissette, they gave us new songs to add to our playlists. Their set primed the audience and served as a great start to the night.
Next onstage was DJ Ms. Worldwide (the stage name of Jemima Monga, Gabelli School of Business ’25). She seamlessly mashed up all the best parts of hit songs — as any good DJ would — including my favorite part of “TV Off (feat. Lefty Gunplay)” by Kendrick Lamar, where he just yells the word “Mustard.” She threw in the bridge of “Bad Idea” by girl in red (for the gays). During a Nicki Minaj song, she held up an American flag with Nicki Minaj saluting in red, white and blue, and the crowd went wild with patriotism. It was beautiful.
By 8:00 PM, it was finally time for Ashe to take the stage. The singer stormed on stage barefoot in a blue velvet jumpsuit and black sunglasses. From her look alone, the audience grew energized and excited about the prospect of her performance. Her voice had a little rasp and a lot of power, and her band of four members matched her energy beautifully. Most audience members knew her from her hit song “Moral of the Story,” the last song of the night, yet most audience members left with much more than one song to listen to.
Much of her discography is reflective of past relationships with songs like “Cherry Trees” and “Dear Stranger” from her recent album, “Wilson.” “Moral of the Story” and “Save Myself,” from her earlier album, “Ashlyn,” have the same quality. Her music encompasses countless topics, such as love, grief and the effort required to heal.
The singer stormed on stage barefoot in a blue velvet jumpsuit and black sunglasses.
Her music is also reminiscent of summery Los Angeles, evoked in her songs “Pushing Daisies,” featuring Suki Waterhouse; “Till Forever Falls Apart,” which she performs with Finneas; and “Another Man’s Jeans” off of her album “Rae,” which is one of my personal favorites.
The crowd was dancing along the whole time, whether they knew the songs or not, although they often did. To cater to new fans who didn’t know her music very well, she performed two covers: the second halves of Gracie Abrams’ “I Love You, I’m Sorry” and Taylor Swift’s “Love Story.” If anyone was not scream-singing before, they definitely were by then. Winterfest 2025 was a celebration of music both on and off campus.
