I first heard of Girl Named Tom during my freshman year of high school when they came to perform during my Mennonite high school’s chapel service while on their first tour. I followed their music on and off after that, but not religiously. When we heard they were on NBC’s The Voice last fall, my family and I started watching the show each week, in hopes that the group would do well. Little did we know, these three Mennonites would be the first group act to win in the history of The Voice. 

The group is a trio of siblings: Joshua, Bekah, and Caleb Liechty from Pettisville, Ohio. They first formed their group in 2019 with the encouragement of their mother and chose the name because Caleb and Joshua called Bekah “Tom” when they were little. 

Girl Named Tom performed at EMU on the lawn on Saturday, Oct. 8 as a part of the 2022 Homecoming festivities. They were originally scheduled to play at Homecoming last year but were unable to make it because they were in Los Angeles, filming for The Voice. 

Set against the backdrop of the mountains and the changing leaves of the trees, Girl Named Tom performed for a captive and excited audience. Their concert was characterized by tight, perfectly blended harmonies, personal stories of their lives, original songs, and covers. 

I enjoyed the entire concert but a few songs stood out to me. 

Easily one of my favorite songs was their cover of “Saint Honesty” which is originally by Sara Bareilles. They said that this song is one of their mom’s favorites. What made this song so wonderful was Bekah’s lead vocals. She soared during this song as it allowed her to show off her incredible range. 

Another one of my favorites was the original song “Getaway Train.” It was inspired by their small hometown of Pettisville, Ohio which, as they said, is so small that it doesn’t even have a gas station. The chorus, a bit ironic, says, “baby how would you like it if we got famous.” 

The most fun song they performed was “This Too Shall Pass” which was written by Joshua during the COVID pandemic. What I loved about this song was the whistling in the middle and the high harmonies. 

Two of their strongest songs were “23” and “Helplessly Hoping.” “23” is an original song, based on Psalm 23, which their parents would sing to them before bed when they were younger. “Helplessly Hoping,” originally by Crosby, Stills, and Nash, was the song they sang for their blind audition on The Voice. Both of these songs were characterized by incredibly tight harmonies and glorious depth provided by the deeper voices of Caleb and Joshua, as was the case in many songs. 

Their performance brought this audience to their feet, so much so that they came out and performed an encore cover of “Jolene” by Dolly Parton. 

All in all, the concert was amazing. Their singing is fantastic, but what I loved most was seeing the group together. The love and deep bond between these three siblings are so palpable, even from the perspective of the audience. 

I was so glad to have the opportunity to see them in person. I hope that the group releases some more of their original music because a lot of what they have out right now is covers. 

If EMU students want to see Girl Named Tom in concert again, the group is going on a Christmas tour with Pentatonix this winter.