The group quickly went viral and became an online sensation, but unlike so many of their viral peers, Karmin found a way to migrate its popularity outside the digital world. Since posting those first videos, Amy Heidemann and Nick Noonan have performed on "Saturday Night Live," made the cover of Rolling Stone, and count Kanye West among their admirers.
Monday, the band will headline a gig at The NorVa in Norfolk. But while they've logged millions of views on YouTube, the engaged musicians and their smiling covers of pop songs don't appeal to everybody. One music critic called them "cringe inducing." Another called Karmin's existence "a crime against humanity." Your view depends on whether you find the duo's versions of Top 40 hits to be a gimmick, or the work of geniuses.
Either way, Karmin's viral cover songs have made an impression. And now they're hoping to parlay that buzz into interest for their original material.
The duo recently released their debut album, "Hello." The pair's mix of pop and hip-hop is conveyed with the same kind of goofball charisma that made Karmin an Internet phenomenon - one that was the result of a marketing brainstorm session.
As newcomers, Heidemann and Noonan realized it was unlikely a mass audience would seek out their music. That's when inspiration hit. The notable rapping skills of a 20-something white girl from Nebraska didn't remain a secret for long and the blogosphere blew up after Karmin posted its rendering of "Look at Me Now" by Chris Brown. The clip has since been viewed more than 76 million times.
Karmin got some celebrity love too. Roots percussionist Questlove, an early supporter, even performed on Karmin's YouTube video cover of Nicki Minaj's "Super Bass." While not as endearing as the version by British tykes Sophia Grace and Rosie of "Ellen DeGeneres Show" fame, Karmin's Minaj cover still has its charms.
While fans wait for the duo's next move, let's take a look at a few of their buzzworthy covers and what the people of the Internet have to say about them.
"Party Rock Anthem" The original by LMFAO is an exuberant club-ready piece of hip-hop heaven that was everywhere in 2011. Karmin's version is perhaps its least successful homage, but exhibits the duo's interpretive creativity. The lone keyboard instrumentation is more pity party than anthem. But it's Heidemann's bizarre facial contortions that seem to have sparked the most wickedly entertaining web comments. "She forgot to take her meds," and "Her eyes scare me," are two of the more G-rated insults directed at the singer's theater kid histrionics.
"Look at Me Now" There's good reason this Karmin cover of the Chris Brown track scored the duo a record deal. Love her or hate her, there's no denying Heidemann's razor-sharp verbal agility on Brown's bouncy ode to his self-proclaimed awesomeness.
Karmin's supporters included rap star The Game and "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest, who both shared the clip with Twitter followers. But not everyone is a believer. The hilariously snarky website Gawker was so appalled by the specter of Karmin that it compiled the mocking tome, "A Hater's Guide to Karmin."
"Someone Like You" There's nothing jokey about this lovely version of Adele's hit. Heidemann and Noonan sing beautifully. If this is any indication of how Karmin sounds when swapping stunt for sincerity, the duo may very well have a long career.
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