Harmonies emanated from the backyard of the SoCal VoCals house Thursday night as nine of USC’s a cappella groups held their semesterly showcase and recruitment event, All Hail. The groups performed two songs each, displaying a diverse range of mash-ups and songs.

This year, All Hail was hosted by The Trojan Men — an all-men a cappella group established in 2005 — as a way to share each group’s talent and showcase their unique identities for music aficionados as well as prospective members. 

“My high school didn’t have an a capella [group], so I wanted to see what it was like, and I signed up for a lot of auditions,” said Mia Clements, a freshman majoring in musical theatre. “I thought all the groups had great energy, and the crowd seemed to really like it.”

By 8:25 p.m., Tripp Carrington, The Trojan Men’s president and a senior majoring in creative writing, welcomed Overflow A Cappella as the first group of the night. 

Overflow — a Christian, co-ed a cappella group — started the evening by showcasing bright soprano vocals on the indie-pop ballad “Stayaway” by MUNA before the group transitioned into a gospel song about the power of Christ. 

Hope Songer, a freshman majoring in dramatic arts, came to the event to scope out the groups before the upcoming auditions. 

“I checked out all the a cappella groups at the involvement fair, and there were a lot of them that interest me. And they were like, ‘You should come to All Hail to just see us in action,’” Songer said. “I can tell this is gonna be a lot of music enthusiasts, so I’m excited to see how that plays into the music.”

Other a cappella groups, like Trogons A Cappella and Asli Baat Acappella shared their cultural identity along with their love for music. The Trogons — USC’s first and only East Asian a cappella group — performed a rendition of Chappell Roan’s “Picture You,” even matching Roan’s vocal flipping, while wearing their matching club merchandise. 

Asli Baat is a competitive South Asian fusion a cappella group that shared a hypnotically rhythmic version of “Silsila Ye Chahat Ka” by Shreya Ghoshal in Hindi. Both groups welcomed listeners of all backgrounds to join in and enjoy their music. 

The audience shared their support during all of the night’s performances as people pushed closer to the front of the crowd, swaying to the harmonies and excitedly applauding after each song. When Reverse Osmosis A Capella took the stage and sang the soulful tunes of “What You Don’t Do” by Lianne La Havas, the audience joined in the arrangement by clapping rhythmically. 

Later groups shifted the genre to indie-alternative and modern pop music as the night went on. In matching blue denim and white shirts, the Troy Tones mimicked the upbeat pop song “Wings” by Little Mix with their vocal percussion, and UnderSCore A Cappella performed a tribute to Beyoncé with her 2011 hit “Party.”

Sirens, USC’s only all-women a cappella group, founded in 1977, performed a pair of mash-ups. The first was a combination of Lizzy McAlpine songs, and the next was a blend of different girl-centered anthems with transitions from Alicia Keys’ powerful “Girl on Fire” to Gwen Stefani’s catchy “Hollaback Girl.” The vocals of the group’s 8 other performing members mixed with energetic beatboxing from vocal percussionist Nations. 

SoCal VoCals layered their voices for an R&B recital of “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye before slowing it down for a rendition of Sade’s “Pearls.” 

“‘Pearls’ was definitely one of my favorites to do, just because we were so passionate about the sound of the piece,” said Veda Krishna, a member of SoCal VoCals and a junior majoring in theatre. “I love that it has a really slow part where we can be super articulate about their swells and the flow of it all, but then we also have a percussive part, so we can get into it and groove and also have fun. It’s the perfect mix.” 

Finally, dressed in black, three-piece suits and bright smiles, The Trojan Men looked like a cappella gentlemen as they handed out red roses to the front row after singing “Lida Rose / Will I Ever Tell You?” by Shirley Jones & The Buffalo Bills. 

Jordan Smith, a sophomore studying ​​acting for stage and screen, joined The Trojan Men in his freshman year to stay more involved with singing. 

“They felt like the most fun group to me, the most alive group. They made me laugh a lot. They kept me at ease during auditions,” Smith said. “I’ve been here for a bit now, and I love the group. We’re kind of like a brotherhood.”

They leaned into overexpressive facial expressions that acted out the emotion behind the lyrics they sang, but they never left their tune behind. The night’s closing song was The Trojan Men’s California-themed medley, featuring songs like “California Girls” by The Beach Boys and the USC favorite, “California Love” by 2Pac. 

While it’s true the performers gave samples of their musical talent, they were just as excited to welcome new faces to their groups. A member from each informed the audience of their upcoming audition days after each performance.

“My college experience would be so, so vastly different — and for the worst — if I hadn’t put myself out there,” Krishna said. “I never thought that any of the stuff that [has] happened after I auditioned would happen. But, you just gotta take a chance, and if it doesn’t work out the way you hoped, it’s just a redirection.”