Riley Peru, Editor in Chief
On May 2nd, 2026, SUNY Oneonta welcomed pop sensation Zara Larsson to campus! Larsson, a Swedish singer and songwriter, headlined SUNY Oneonta’s annual spring concert, O-Fest. Zara Larsson is known for her vibrant attire and catchy songs, bringing her talents to SUNY Oneonta for the evening. Students and fans alike lined up at the door hours before the show, dressed to the nines in bright outfits and colorful accessories.
In light of this exciting performance, student-run media clubs joined together to collaborate on an interview with Zara Larsson. The three organizations were WONYFM, WireTV, and The State Times. WONYFM focuses on radio broadcasting, while WireTV focuses on television broadcasting. All three clubs were allowed to conduct a formal interview with Zara Larsson, which meant working together to maximise time and ensure the process moves smoothly.
The experience was like no other. The interview with Larsson was held hours prior to the performance, and the students involved in the interview awaited her arrival with eagerness. Everyone was excited to speak with Larsson, looking forward to hearing her responses to the questions being asked.
The students who conducted the formal interview were Cali Randell, Joshua Youngquist, and Riley Peru. The students behind the cameras and microphones were Grace Tran, Bastian Dudley, Lucas Rogers, Isabel Obrycki, and Maeve Bidonde. All of these students worked together behind the scenes to come up with questions, equipment, interview order, and various other aspects of the interview process.
After the formal interview with Larsson, some of the student club members discussed their personal experience meeting Larsson.
WONY’s Joshua Youngquist states, “It was so fun and such a great time getting to talk to her! She is so sweet and genuine, ot felt like such a casual conversation with a friend!” Josh is the president of WONY and was one of the people in front of the cameras. The questions Josh asked Larsson were a collaboration of questions created by himself, Isabel Obrycki, and Lucas Rogers.
Isabel Obrycki is the events director for WONY and sat in on the interview. She comments, “It was such an amazing experience to meet her and listen to what she had to say. The minute she walked into the room, she radiated such positive energy.”
Vice President of WireTV Cali Randell spoke to Larsson in front of the cameras. She comments, “I feel so honored that she took the time to speak with us. She is a true talent and a class act, being extremely kind and generous. I will always remember this experience.”
Behind the cameras were WireTV’s president, Grace Tran, and Bastian Dudley. The two of them worked on the visual recording, as well as the audio recording of the interview. When asked about Dudley’s experience, he stated, “Getting to work behind the cameras with WONY and State Times was a blast, it genuinely felt like we were one big team all working towards one ultimate effort. I am super proud of what we were able to achieve, and Zara Larsson was just incredible.”
My personal experience working with both of these organizations was amazing. It was easy and extremely productive, and I am so honored to be a part of this project. I loved speaking with Zara; she was an absolute gem who was just as, if not more, excited than we all were. It was so much fun asking her the questions my co-worker and I created.
State Times Arts Editor, Maeve Bidonde, helped me collaborate on this project. When asked about her experience with the interview and meeting Larsson, Bidonde comments, “It was an amazing experience, and I found her to be so sweet, especially when she double-hugged me when she began hugging everyone else in the room. It was one of the best experiences I have had at Oneonta.”
A special thank you to WONYFM and WireTV for working with us so efficiently and effectively. We hope to work together again in the future.
Leave a Reply