Sophomores Nick Borowitz and Bradley Ripp think it is important for fellow University of Wisconsin-Whitewater students to reserve time for their passions.

The pair, along with their friend and UW-Madison student Nate Smith, has directed and released a music video for the song “Bloom,” produced by Borowitz.

“It’s really just fun for us. We don’t look at it like we have to do it,” said Borowitz, who also goes by the artist name Nick Boro. “We want to do it for fun.”

Borowitz, Ripp and Smith all attended Monroe High School together and have chosen areas of study outside music. Borowitz is a biology major, Ripp is a public relations major and Smith studies computer engineering.

“As of right now, I am just doing [music] as a hobby” Borowitz said. “I find it really interesting and fun after I have been to so many electronic concerts. I also like biology. I have always been interested in it and my family has been too, so I am just doing music on the side.”

Smith and Ripp said they also view their academic career paths as a safe option, but they hope to shift into music production at some point in the future.

“Right now, we are just kind of doing what people are telling us we are supposed to do, but it’s definitely a goal for us in the future,” Ripp said.

In August, the three friends drove a van with 9 other people to Pewit’s Nest in Baraboo, Wisconsin, and shot footage for their music video.

The music video for “Bloom,” features one of their friends jumping off a cliff, along with bright colors and a kaleidoscope effect which they described as psychedelic art.

“I changed the color of the water a lot in the video,” said Smith, who edited the video footage. “It was actually the basis for a lot of the video.”

Borowitz, who produced the song using his laptop, described the genre as “future bass,” which is synth-heavy with electronic synthesizers. He added that he enjoys incorporating movement into his music, such as water sounds. This aspect of nature ultimately inspired the music video for “Bloom”  which can be found on YouTube.

“I called it ‘Bloom’ because it’s like me as an artist trying to bloom, and the drop symbolizes it too” Borowitz said.

The trio focuses on connecting with other regional artists as well.

Ripp said he especially enjoys music promotion, so he often connects with various local artists to exchange ideas. They are currently working on releasing more music videos with other artists, including some who attend UW-W.

They strongly encourage people to give local artists a chance because they believe there is undiscovered talent everywhere.

“I cannot emphasize how much great talent there is,” Smith said. “There is so much music being made just in Southern Wisconsin, it’s crazy.”