AMPLIFIED: ADA - A NEW SPIN ON WHITE GIRL POP

Image taken by Chloe Pusey, edited by Kailyn Peng

When pop quartet Ada performed at Funk ‘n Waffles in April 2024, it felt like their most professional gig yet. The crowd was full of middle-aged adults who complimented the band’s sound despite their young age. 

“That really solidified that we were all really meant to be in the right place at the right time,” said Syracuse University senior Ada Setlik, the band’s lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist. 

The band features Setlik alongside sophomores Ben Gross on drums, Jobi Arcila on bass and Liam Morriseyon on lead guitar.

The band came together last fall, after Setlik mentored Gross, Arcila and Morrisey in SU’s marching band.

“They were my cymbal rookies last year, so that’s how I got to know them,” Setlik said. “I was like, ‘Oh man, you guys are really good at your actual instruments.’” 

The band has two original songs currently available: “Woodstock,” which leans toward a country-pop sound, and “Magic Show,” which takes on a more pop-folk feel. At their sets, these songs are played alongside hits that include a mix of Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter, or what they call “white girl pop.”

“I like that we aim to reach the inner white girl in everybody's heart,” Gross said jokingly.

The band is currently working on an upcoming album as part of Setlik’s senior capstone in sound recording technology, which requires recording 20 minutes of original music. The two singles are already out, and are expected to appear on the album’s tracklist. Though the nine track album does not yet have a title, the group is documenting the recording process through videos on their YouTube channel.

For Setlik, the band has shaped the last two years of her college life. 

“The first two years when I was trying to put something together, I was like, ‘Oh, maybe college is not the time for me to be doing this,’ but it has really made me feel like I have a purpose and a way to be super creative and fun,” Setlik said.