While most of the American public silently shake heads and wring hands at the economic situation, Talya Lieberman has something to say. Lieberman, Trinity '07, and collaborator Pavle Jefferson have found Internet stardom through their song "Fannie Mae Eat Freddie Mac and Cheese", a sardonic commentary on the financial crisis. The track has been featured on The New York Times' "Freakonomics" blog and was also mentioned in a Wall Street Journal article discussing songwriters and the economic recession.
Like most of the nation, Lieberman was shocked when she first heard the news about the crisis. An avid NPR listener, she was amused by the alliterative nature of the names Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The end result was a whimsical Wall Street song about the economic perpetrators.
"It was really an attempt to figure out what was happening and how I was supposed to feel about it," Lieberman said. "I had all these questions about why things had happened this way, so out came a song."
A chance meeting got Lieberman in touch with Jefferson, a New York City musician. After Lieberman penned "Freddie Mae," she sent an e-mail to the "Freakonomics" blog to make sure the song was not committing copyright infringement (the track uses the word "freakonomics" several times). Instead, the song ended up being posted on the blog. The band made a video and set up YouTube and MySpace accounts under the name "Talya and Pavle," getting thousands of hits in just a matter of days.
"I only started writing songs this summer so it was a really big break," Lieberman said. "But we weren't really ready to take advantage of it because we were just starting out,"
Not all of Talya and Pavle's songs are about the recession, but they do grapple with the issues that their generation is currently facing. For example, "Maps.google.com" is about needing direction in life and asking the popular search engine where to go.
"When it comes to wondering, 'What am I supposed to do with my life?.' I'm wondering if my generation is equipped to deal with these questions because we live in an age of such instant gratification," Lieberman said.
For Lieberman, who is earning a master's degree in trumpet performance from the North Carolina School of the Arts, graduation is currently the main focus. But after she completes her education, she and Jefferson plan to begin touring.
"I wouldn't say we're going to continue to talk about economic issues per se, but really any issues that we think merit talking about," Jefferson said.
Perhaps by that time they will be singing about more positive issues.
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