Is the cast really singing in Dear White People?

While the first three seasons followed the format of a regular comedy drama, the fourth shakes things up radically with its musical spin, which sees the principal cast burst into song and dance.

Many fans are wondering whether the Dear White People cast are actually singing in those ambitious numbers, or simply miming along to vocals performed by somebody else. Read on for details.

Is the Dear White People cast really singing in season 4?

Yes, it appears that the members of the Dear White People cast are indeed singing (not miming) in the musical fourth season, as confirmed by star Logan Browning in an interview with Insider.

The series lead, who plays college student Samantha White, discussed her enthusiasm for the concept and revealed that she gained experience in the genre during her youth.

"I've always loved musicals," she said. "When I was in high school as a kid, I did lots of musical revues with my chorus and I was very serious about auditioning to get the parts that I wanted – and I always got the parts I wanted."

Dear White People has seemingly brought Browning's love for musicals back to the surface, as she is also eager to perform a show on Broadway now that her Netflix gig is winding down.

"One of the [shows] I loved growing up was Wicked. I’d totally love to play [Wicked Witch of the West] Elphaba. I also would love to do something new with some young, new Black female playwright, who’s creating some incredible project," she told Ebony.

Why is Dear White People season 4 a musical?

Dear White People creator Justin Simien has admitted that part of the motivation behind his bold finale is simply because he "wanted to make a big ol' musical" (via Insider).

However, the filmmaker has explained that the format also acts as a timely metaphor for the experiences of many Black people in society, including himself and his characters on the show.

Simien continued: "It felt like the perfect way to distill the metaphor of having to put on a show as a person of colour, of having to sort of tap dance for people, of finding a way to express what's really inside.

"All these things that were so typical of musicals were also typical of my Black experience at least, and the way I wanted to portray their journey this season. So that's really where it started from and the more we talked about it, the more it made sense."

Dear White People season four will stream on Netflix from Wednesday 22nd September. Check out more of our Comedy coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.