Ryan Nealon has auditioned for Spring Sing four years in a row with three different band names. This year, the fourth-year ethnomusicology student will finally take the Pauley Pavilion stage with his band, Third Degree; it will be their first time performing in the show. Read more...

Photo: Fourth-year ethnomusicology student Ryan Nealon and second-year psychology student Jada Banks-Mace will be singing a duet with their band, Third Degree, at Spring Sing 2017. (Anisha Joshi/Daily Bruin)

Stefan Dismond appreciates how rap gives a voice to people whose voices aren’t normally heard. The third-year English student will be performing his rap music with the band Stefan Dismond and the Love Supreme at Spring Sing. Read more...

Photo: Stefan Dismond will perform rap music with the band Stefan Dismond and the Love Supreme for the group’s first time at Spring Sing. He started out creating ringtones and now will be one of the first rappers to perform at the talent show in several years. (Stella Huang/Daily Bruin)

Spring Sing 2017 saw more applicants than any other year of the talent show’s 72-year history. The 15 members of the Spring Sing Committee narrowed down this year’s around 100 applicants to the final 17 performers that will appear onstage Friday. Read more...

Photo: Spring Sing talent directors Kayla Samuels, Chelsey Brody and Angela Navas and executive director Paige Allenspach (left to right) were on the committee that chose the final 17 performers who will appear on stage on Friday. (Andrew Arifin/Daily Bruin)

Nine-year-old Imaan Fitzgerald stood in front of 1,000 people and began to sing “We Are a Family,” her voice bouncing off the steep walls of Crystal Cathedral. Read more...

Photo: Fifth-year film student Imaan Fitzgerald plays the ukulele, guitar and piano and began writing her own songs in middle school. She will be performing a solo soul set at Spring Sing this year. (Axel Lopez/Daily Bruin)

Haylee Hessell never imagined she would practice one song as many times as she has rehearsed her song “Let Him Go” for Spring Sing. She’s practiced the song at least 50 times already. Read more...

Photo: Third-year English student Haylee Hessell has her father to thank for her interest in music. He taught her to play guitar, took her to a Rolling Stones concert and brought her to a Santa Monica guitar shop. (MacKenzie Coffman/Daily Bruin)

Isabel Whelan is used to taking stage as part of an ensemble. The third-year communication studies student performed at Spring Sing her freshman year as part of the Delta Gamma and Lambda Chi production and at Coastalong Festival and Dance Marathon this year as a part of Sage St. Read more...

Photo: Third-year communication studies student Isabel Whelan will be performing the ballad “Ms. Hollywood” under the stage name BEL at Spring Sing this year. (Eileen Lising/Daily Bruin)