North Texas Daily

Eight individuals stand straight and stoic in an empty field. The group’s white outfits compliment the green of the tall, surrounding grasses. Each member faces frontward, eyes blinded by a white piece of tulle tied around their heads.

The camera pans across the group as their voices join together in harmony. The center figure begins to sing the opening lyrics to Sammy Rae’s “The Feeling.”

This scene is one of four parts of “The Eden Project,” a visual EP created by university a cappella group the Green Tones.

The video first premiered on Feb. 18 after a two-year-long process. Caroline Ross, former Green Tones President and integrative studies senior, first conceptualized the project in 2019 after gaining inspiration from other music artists’ visual pieces. 

“I knew I wanted to do something that felt more true to Green Tones’s style and brand,” Ross said. “We didn’t know how we were going to do it, but we still wanted to set out to see if we could.”

“The Eden Project” consists of a four-song audio EP and a 12-minute music video. Green Tones Vice President Kaitlyn Hughes, 19, said the group wanted the video to display the emotional journey many find themselves in throughout their 20s. She feels the project’s title, videography and song choices all work cohesively to form the project’s exposed and vulnerable themes.

“Eden is a very refreshing word, it’s a word of growth,” Hughes said. “[The project] tells a story about identity and growing through the intense in-depth emotions that you feel as a human being […] We wanted to use our art to display how we all have these experiences.”

After months of arrangements and delays due to COVID-19, the music recording took place in spring 2021. Several months later, the group recorded the EP’s visuals in August with a professional director and videographer over a two-day period. 

Colton Nicholas, Green Tones President and computer science senior, said while the group was excited to work together on the EP, they still had their challenges. Although the process at times brought strains to the Green Tones, he said testing their endurance ultimately brought them closer together and the EP is a testament to what the Green Tones are fully capable of. 

“It can be difficult to see what you’re working after, but once you finally get to see that final product project, [it] just brings a huge smile to your face,” Nicholas said. “It shows just what level you can take making music with your peers.”

After two years of planning, “The Eden Project” was finalized by early 2022. To celebrate the members’ hard work, the Green Tones held a private group screening before its official premiere. 

Ross, who left the group after the EP’s filming to focus on her last year at university, said seeing the final project was a bittersweet goodbye to her time with the Green Tones. She felt that working on “The Eden Project” since its conception made seeing the completed video all the more impactful.

“It was cool to reflect on this huge process and see what we were able to do all by ourselves,” Ross said. “It’s like a little special time capsule of me, my friends and our college experience.”

Aside from growing together as a team, Hughes felt the EP’s process also proved what the members are capable of as individuals.

“This whole project is about learning and growing in yourself and that’s exactly what I’ve done through this project,” Hughes said. “It’s shown me what I am as an artist and what I can create.”

Hughes feels the “The Eden Project” perfectly encapsulates who the Green Tones are as a group. She believes the video also depicts the group’s growth over the past few years and how they will similarly flourish in the future.

“I think that this project is probably the most Green Tones thing that Green Tones has ever done,” Hughes said. “We are constantly growing, effortlessly evolving. I think that this is a perfect example of how we’re always taking a step above what we’ve done in the past.”

Through the EP, the Green Tones have been able to demonstrate their overall value as artists, Ross said. She hopes that upon seeing the project, others will view the group as a source of creative, artistic reflection.

“Whenever I see a body of work that I can tell [someone] poured their heart and soul into, I always walk away feeling inspired,” Ross said. “I just hope we did something that is able to give back and connect with our audience in that way.”

“The Eden Project” is now available to watch on the Green Tones’ YouTube channel and stream on all music platforms. More about the group and their upcoming projects can be found on their Instagram, @untgreentones.

Featured Image: Green Tones President Colton Nicholas answers a question after the screening of the group’s EP on Feb. 18, 2022. Photo by John Anderson