“Yungin'” is a phrase Ulani Mafate’s little brother used to say frequently. Mafate said “yungin'” – meaning to be young on the outside and grown on the inside – is a perfect illustration of how societal discrimination affects the life and behavior of black people. Read more...

Photo: Ulani Mafate, a second-year English student, and Kevin Jang, a third-year political science student, will perform a duet at Spring Sing. Their song “Yungin'” aims to highlight the difficulties African Americans face. Jang said the track exemplifies his and Mafate’s interest in social commentary. (Niveda Tennety/Daily Bruin)

Sean Tasse and Ali Hepps’ musical partnership began at a UCLA family resort. While working at Bruin Woods in summer 2017, the two became friends and eventually wrote their song “The Game,” which they will perform at this year’s Spring Sing. Read more...

Photo: Sean Tasse, a fourth-year economics student, and Ali Hepps, a fourth-year cognitive science student, will bring EDM beats and vocals to their Spring Sing performance of “The Game.” (Niveda Tennety/Daily Bruin)

Nina Marie Rose’s songwriting allows her to break free from the pressure to be a perfect musician, she said. The second-year music performance and English student will be performing an original song as a soloist at Spring Sing. Read more...

Photo: Nina Rose will be performing her original song, “The Raven,” at Spring Sing as a soloist. The second-year piano performance and English student said she enjoys songwriting because it is a raw form of expression that gives her freedom as a musician. (James Schaap/Daily Bruin)

Company’s sketches have typically had one goal – entertaining the Spring Sing audience. But this year, members of the comedy sketch group plan to incorporate social awareness into their work. Read more...

Photo: Company screens prefilmed sketches and performs live skits between Spring Sing acts. The comedy group, comprising a total of 12 students and alumni, will emphasise social commentary in their performances this year. (Anirudh Keni/Daily Bruin)

Aaron Chadrick Revilla’s New Year’s resolution: Sing a song, post it to Instagram and repeat the process for 364 days. With his participation in the melodious Instagram challenge to sing a song a day for a year, the fourth-year psychology student said the year has marked an increased focus on developing his musical skills. Read more...

Photo: Fourth-year psychology student Aaron Chadrick Revilla will perform “Gone,” a song inspired by his love life. Although he is Asian American and a member of the LGBTQ community, Chadrick said his music covers universal themes. (Liz Ketcham/Assistant Photo editor)

The soloists of Random Voices were initially skeptical about their Spring Sing song choice. The all-female a cappella group plans to perform a variation of Florence and the Machine’s “Shake It Out.” They were concerned the choice would appear too predictable, since it’s a pop song by a female-led group. Read more...

Photo: Students Noga Tour, Leah Woodcox and Audrey Smith will perform as soloists in Random Voices, an all-female a capella group competing at UCLA’s annual Spring Sing. (Kanishka Mehra/Daily Bruin)

Offbeat combines beatboxing with string and brass instruments. The six-piece band will perform its original song, “End of the Day,” at Spring Sing 2019. The band uses guitar, saxophone, violin, vocals and beatboxing to create an R&B sound with undertones of jazz and Western classical music. Read more...

Photo: Offbeat, a band of six, creates an R&B sound with undertones of jazz and Western classical music. Using instrumentals as well as beatboxing, Offbeat’s Spring Sing song is about partners who support each other. (Kanishka Mehra/Daily Bruin)