Don't stop believing, Tufts a cappella fans: Fox's "Glee" has tapped the Tufts Beelzebubs to provide arrangements and backup vocals for select musical performances this season.
On tonight's episode, "Never Been Kissed," the Bubs will make their debut singing an a cappella arrangement of Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream."
The Bubs' voices will stand in for the Dalton Academy Warblers, a fictional, all−male a cappella group that presents new competition for the New Directions club on the popular show. Darren Criss, a new "Glee" cast member, provides lead vocals for the Warblers.
"The final product is great," junior Evan Powell, the group's business manager, said. "We finally got to hear it with their soloist [Criss]."
In the episode, actors will lip−sync the Bubs' voices playing students at the rival prep school. "They were thinking of flying us out to L.A., which was not a good idea," senior Eli Seidman, the Bubs' president, said.
"Obviously, because we're students and need to be in class, we didn't pursue it," Seidman added. The songs were recorded in New York in late September, he said.
"Even having our voices in there is very cool and such an honor," Seidman said.
The Bubs appeared on last year's NBC reality show "The Sing−Off," which featured a competition with eight a cappella groups from across the country, including the Bubs. The group came in second place and attracted attention at Fox.
"When they saw us in ‘The Sing−Off,' that interest was heightened and some of the other folks on the show became aware of us," he said.
Tonight's episode may not be the last time "Glee" fans hear from the Bubs, according to Seidman and Powell. "We'll have at least one other song on there, assuming everything goes according to plan," Seidman said.
"There is a potential for more tracks. We have recorded another one; we'll see what happens with that," Powell said, adding that he was not permitted to name the song.
On−campus fans will be able to hear an all−Bubs version of the song soon, according to Seidman. "We're going to sing it at a winter show with our own soloist, so it's now in our repertoire," he said.
In the meantime, the show's version of "Teenage Dream" was released at midnight today for purchase on iTunes.
The Bubs make their "Glee" debut tonight at 8 p.m. on Fox.
