Introduction

Back in 2011 I heard Kanye West's Heartless play during a scene of The Chicago Code. While the FOX drama didn't last more than a season, Heartless stuck with me. I wanted the song to be more than just something I could listen to and sing along to - I wanted to deconstruct it, understand what made it create a cool mood, and bring it to more people. It was the first time that I really noticed that the background parts of the song had their own personality and voice as emotive as the vocalist's. I eventually decided to download the music notation software Finale, create an arrangement for voice, and invite my friends over from my show choir to try to sing through it. When we performed it at the high school spring concert, I knew that a cappella was a way I wanted to express myself.