Deviating from tradition, Deviant Voices A Cappella is looking to take the spotlight at its Spring Sing debut.
While the a cappella group previously held quarterly concerts and performed at on-campus events like Dance Marathon, this year’s online transition will provide a digital platform for the group to present its cover of DNCE’s “Pay My Rent.” The opportunity to perform its work for an excited audience at Spring Sing has been a goal of Deviant Voices since its formation in 2010, said president and third-year communication student Emily Fukuda.
“Our group prides itself on being very laid back and chill but also very talented and kind, so we wanted to have something to show for that,” Fukuda said. “It was a dream to be in Spring Sing, and we knew this was really our shot.”
Since this year’s event is the group’s first Spring Sing performance, Fukuda said it was especially important for every detail to be considered in full. The group ultimately chose DNCE’s “Pay My Rent” because the song’s upbeat energy allowed it to focus on the lively visual components and storyboard aspects of the video submission, Fukuda said. Decisions surrounding synchronized outfit choices, vibrant color schemes and dynamic movements were extensively discussed to deliver a level of excitement and energy that audiences typically feel at an in-person event, she said.
The importance of engaging visuals to complement the team’s harmonized vocals also served as a factor within its control, Fukuda said. While it was difficult at times to coordinate everyone’s audio given the virtual rehearsals, the visual components of its performance allowed for more flexibility and immediate adjustments, said member and second-year economics student Catarina Paul.
“It’s hard to perfect all the nuances of the performance like dynamics and vowels when you’re not performing with people who could help correct you in person,” Paul said. “Instead of focusing on what we can’t control, we’ve been discussing a lot about our storyboard for what we’re doing for the video along with the messages and themes we want to share.”
In order to coordinate the visual aspects of its submission, the storyboarding process was led by fourth-year English student Aija Le. As co-music director and video editor, Le said finding the right balance between creative editing and authentic visuals was critical in an effort to avoid distracting from the foundational audio aspect.
“We’ve incorporated movements, physical transitions and other motion-related aspects that do not just rely on video editing but also rely on each individual member shining and having fun through their own creativity,” Le said.
Le said the group’s creative process was also a democratic one, where all suggestions and feedback were valued and taken into consideration. While she provided the team with framing requirements, such as what portions of their body to include on camera, the team was given the creative freedom to deliver their own distinctive movements and dances within each frame.
Complementing Le’s visual work, third-year applied mathematics student Sophie Paven said her position as co-music director and arranger required a collaborative approach to collecting and editing each member’s recording of “Pay My Rent.” While Paven created a foundation track to provide a general structure for the final song, she said the addition of everyone’s iPhones introduced a creative resourcefulness to their video submissions.
“What I love about our track is that they’re all just iPhones instead of fancy microphones and professional equipment,” Paven said. “We’re very much scrappy given our resources and the talent in our group.”
Paven said new members of Deviant Voices have shown interest in audio editing and lent their own vision to the democratic process. Social interactions in virtual meetings and a commitment to having fun as a cohesive unit also contributed to the group’s close bond, Paven said. Rather than generating an overly competitive atmosphere, Fukuda said Deviant Voices uses its underdog mentality to approach Spring Sing from an ambitious yet team-oriented perspective.
“I really love that our group is not cutthroat where everyone has their own individual agendas, like in the music industry,” Fukuda said. “Everyone in Deviant Voices is there as a family and as a team.”
Fukuda said the digital submission of the performance also serves as a valuable keepsake for the members of Deviant Voices to look back on in the future. With this Spring Sing performance as a pivotal point in its journey, Fukuda said its arrangement of “Pay My Rent” along with other audios from the past year will be compiled into an album or EP as physical mementos of the group’s work.
While the extensive virtual rehearsals spent perfecting audio and visual recordings have benefited its Spring Sing submission, Fukuda said this experience has also strengthened the group’s relationships. The opportunity to participate in this UCLA tradition has been a validating experience for the entire team and will help establish a positive reputation of Deviant Voices among students, Paven said.
“Although we’re not physically together, we’re emotionally close,” Paven said. “Through this process, we’ve banded together, and it’s exciting to see how far we’ve come and all the hard work paying off.”
