From Broadway to Bruin Walk, singer-songwriter Ava Ulloa is making her Spring Sing debut while navigating her passions.

A third-year global jazz studies student from New York, Ulloa has experience and background in theater. Having played the titular character in the Broadway musical “Matilda the Musical” in 2014, Ulloa also participated in many local plays at the Riverdale Children’s Theatre in the Bronx. Ulloa said she is both excited and nervous to perform her original song, titled “American Slacker,” at Spring Sing on Friday because this type of performance is something she is not as used to.

“I’m a little nervous, obviously, because no one has really heard me sing an original,” Ulloa said. “I’m definitely excited to get the opportunity, it’s really great.”

Ulloa said her musical background in piano, alongside her history of vocal lessons, supplemented her musical theater endeavors and encouraged her to switch from theater to pop music when she moved to California for college. She said writing music has allowed her to explore her true self rather than delving into a character as she did in theater.

Ulloa said performing “American Slacker” is forcing her to face one of her biggest fears within music: writing her own songs. Given her background, Ulloa said she developed her skills as a singer and performer primarily through singing other people’s music, but she now has an opportunity to challenge herself and expand upon the jazz sound she has experimented with. When refining her own sound and voice, Ulloa said she drew inspiration from Yebba, whose relaxed sonic palette opened her mind to neo-soul. Sara Bareilles – a former Spring Sing winner – Samara Joy and Lana Del Rey are also singer-songwriters who Ulloa said she is inspired by and looks up to.

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Echoing her sister’s sentiments, third-year American literature and culture student Scarlette Ulloa said Ava Ulloa has always been expressive and creative, which was prompted by her background in piano. Scarlette Ulloa said she has had a first-hand view of her sister’s music career and has enjoyed seeing her evolve as an artist.

“She is very skilled at what she does, and she is always practicing,” Scarlette Ulloa said. “To watch her grow and just to see every part of her – vocalizing, singing, playing the piano – progress, I feel really proud of her.”

Scarlette Ulloa said her sister is able to weave different styles, such as jazz and funk, into her vocals by dabbling in an array of musical genres and learning multiple instruments. She added that Ava Ulloa’s openness to a variety of genres displays her perspective.

Adjunct professor Michele Weir, who teaches in the UCLA global jazz studies department, said she has participated in private lessons with Ava Ulloa as the student artist learns jazz. Weir said Ava Ulloa is refreshing to work with because she is not only focused and hardworking, but she branches out into new and sophisticated musical territory.

“The (jazz) melodies can be complex, and there are styles – rhythmic styles like swing, for example, and if you don’t feel the swing in the right way, it’s not going to sound authentic,” Weir said. “She was quite aware of that and very interested to learn. She was pretty much a sponge.”

Jazz evokes emotions and feelings – such as pain, loss, joy or playfulness – which are applied to music and its delivery, Weir said. Ava Ulloa’s experience with tapping into emotions through the genre will likely be reflected in her performance, she said. Similar to other successful people, Weir said Ava Ulloa has a drive to achieve her goals with humility and without concern for how others receive them.

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Before coming to UCLA, Ava Ulloa said she played in a group called Kitchen Sink Band during her time at Cal Poly State San Luis Obispo. She said performing with a band brings a different, more upbeat energy that is difficult to replicate in her piano-driven solo songs. The lead-up of nerves before a performance is all worth it once she is on stage, Ava Ulloa added. One of her favorite feelings is seeing the audience’s response to her performance, as she said the crowd’s applause shows that they know she is prepared and has put in the work.

The song “American Slacker” reflects upon Ava Ulloa’s realization that she wanted to pursue music full-time. She said she was unsure of what her career path would look like and how people would react to her shifting direction. The lyrics also question the motives of people following specific career trajectories, like doctors, she added.

“Do they really want to be there?” Ava Ulloa said. “Do they think the world will just think that they are slacking off if they don’t want that?”

In her search to find her place in music and solidify what she wants to do, Ava Ulloa said she hopes audiences understand and absorb this message from the lyrics of “American Slacker.” The more melancholy theme of her song is not meant to be sad or self-deprecating, she said, as she is thinking and speaking about her experiences and observations.

“I hope that they [audiences] think about it [the message] … that they remember it and that they think about it in their own interpretation,” Ava Ulloa said.