Photo by Ava Umpierre ‘27: 2nd Place winners Mounir Elias ‘27 and Carlos Bolanos ‘29 performing Guns N’ Roses – Welcome To The Jungle
“The energy was electrifying,” said 3rd place winner Leonardo Soares ‘27. The DHS auditorium was packed with family, students, and contestants for Derby High School’s 8th annual lip-sync battle, a yearly contest where students perform their favorite songs for a chance to win an amazing prize. All contestants delivered top-notch performances, making the vote for first place hard to distribute.
“I did my first lip sync battle in middle school,” said Sofia Rudus ’26. Rudus talks about her uncertainty over which song to choose. Still, once she was reminded that this would be her last performance, she decided to stick with the first song she ever performed out of nostalgia – Billy Jean by Michael Jackson. The crowd was hooked by the introduction to the performance, which referenced a popular moment from a Drake concert. Following the ingenious entrance, the crowd erupted upon hearing Billy Jean by Michael Jackson. Rudus’ lively energy was transmitted through her excellent dance moves to the crowd, creating an incredible and uplifting moment for everyone to see.
Photo by Ava Umpierre ‘27: Lip Sync contestant Sofia Rudus ‘26
“I was just so happy, nothing could have prepared me for my name being called,” 3rd place winner Leonardo Soares ‘27 confessed. Soares performed the song “Hope” by NF. “It’s a song that reflects on your life, and every single choice you make till you break down,” Soares said. Soares further explained that 80 percent of the song consists of things that happened throughout his life. “Although the course of the song takes place over 30 years, it applied to me despite being only 16,” said Soares. Soares shared how the beginning of his performance is a reference to his own life—a letter from the loss of a loved one. Soares explains his immense joy when performing on stage: “I completely forgot about the crowd. Even though my eyes were open, the image in my head was showing me memories of my life, so it was hard to focus on anything else.”
Photo by Ava Umpierre ‘27: 3rd place Lip Sync winner Leonardo Soares ‘27
“It felt great to win,” 1st place winner Ariana McNeil ‘27 stated, “I’ve been trying to win my freshman year, so I was excited when my group was called”. Abner Barillas-Rivera ‘27, Alexandra Davis ‘27, Kailyn Kross ‘27, and Ariana McNeil ‘27 all danced to a music mashup, which was Family Feud themed, starring McNeil as Steve Harvey. McNeil expected to place top three because of the unique theme and act as Steve Harvey. “I knew as long as we lip-synced well, we would get a good place in the competition.”
Photo by Ava Umpierre ‘27: 1st place Lip Sync winners Abner Barillas-Rivera ‘27, Alexandra Davis ‘27, Kailyn Kross ‘27, and Ariana McNeil ‘27
“I’m a rockstar,” stated second-place winner Mounir Elias ‘26, “I chose the song and artist because in the future I’ll have my own heavy metal band.” Elias kept his momentum by feeding off the crowd’s energy. “If I could do another song by another artist, I’d do Crazy Train by Ozzy Osborne,” stated Elias. Elias was ecstatic when he heard he had placed in the top 3. “If I could thank anyone for my performance, I’d thank my partner, Mr. Coplin, and Miss T.”
Photo by Ava Umpierre ‘27: 2nd place Lip Sync winners Mounir Elias ‘26 and Carlos Bolanos ‘29
The Raider Press 