Scroll down to any good cover of a song on YouTube, and you’ll find a comment along the lines of “I heard (insert original artist’s name here) made a cover of this”. But as corny as that line sounds, we can’t deny good covers when we hear them. Whether they’re completely reinventing songs to sound like 1950s doo-wop bops, creating a medley of the artist’s greatest hits, or simply just giving the song an acoustic spin with their beautiful voices, it’s hard not to love at least one YouTube Musician. To give you a quick intro, we’ve compiled five of them, including some who’ve also begun to create their own original music.
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Postmodern Jukebox
It’s hard to find someone who doesn’t love a good #throwback, and Postmodern Jukebox perfectly melds the swinging sounds of yesteryear with the repetitive pop lyrics of today. Slight shade aside, you’ll be surprised at how refreshing it is to hear hits like Royals and We Can’t Stop sung to you as if you’re the patron of some snazzy club, fancy dress and all. There also seems to be no end to the amazing singers they collaborate with, so even if you don’t like doo wop or swing, you can appreciate how effortless their vocals are.
Kurt Hugo Schneider
While he’s better known as a producer-slash-musicians rather than a vocalist, Kurt Hugo Schneider is probably one of the best known YouTube musicians out there. With over seven million subscribers, it’s no surprise that he’s collaborated with some of the biggest names from Sam Tsui, Against The Current (also featured on this list) and even Benjamin Kheng of The Sam Willows. He’s also known for putting out cover videos that go the extra mile for that original twist, whether it’s done entirely while playing patty cake or with the instruments being played by 50 000 M&M’s. Yeah, that actually happened.
Alex Goot
Alex Goot’s boy-next-door charm and style allow for his covers to be both enjoyable and fun to listen to. While his covers don’t typically show off his vocal range, there’s no mistake that he has a gift for music. I mean, is there an instrument he can’t play (I’m looking at you too, Kurt Hugo Schneider)? He’s also collaborated with other notable YouTube musicians such as Madilyn Bailey, Julia Sheer and Dave Days. Aside from his covers, he’s also posted a couple original songs, including the song he sang to propose to his fiancée. Sigh.
Against The Current
Together with fellow musicians Sam Tsui, Alex Goot, and even Kurt Hugo Schneider, Against The Current (ATC) made their name known through various collaborations with other cover artists. It’s hard not to recognise frontwoman Chrissy Costanza’s voice, and if anything, you’ll definitely recognise her super-sharp cat eyeliner whenever she appears in videos. The band has taken on everything from popular Christmas songs to indie bands like Bleachers, although they’ve recently been producing a lot more original music, particularly since they signed with Fueled By Ramen. Yes, that Fueled By Ramen.
Pentatonix
Okay, we cheated a little since Pentatonix didn’t get their start on YouTube, but it’s hard to ignore their impact on the community. Who’d have thought that their Daft Punk cover would win them their first Grammy just after they released their second EP? My personal favourite would definitely be their ‘Evolution Of…’ covers, from the music of Michael Jackson to Beyoncé to even the evolution of music itself. Seriously, that’s how talented they are. Members Scott and Mitch also produce covers of their own over on their channel SUPERFRUIT, delivering entire, truly flawless, medleys of albums. It’s definitely aca-amazing.
Featured Image: Against The Current’s Cover of “See You Again”, YouTube.
