Karmin

Karmin

Karmin in 2012
Background information
Origin Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Genres Pop
Years active 2010–present
Labels RED Associated Labels, Sony Music Entertainment
Website www.karminmusic.com
Members Amy Heidemann
Nick Noonan

Karmin is an American pop duo consisting of Amy Renee Heidemann and Nick Noonan.[1] The name of the band is a portmanteau made from the Latin word carmen meaning "song" (also a Spanish female name), and the word karma, making the name Karmin.[2]

The duo is known for their covers of popular songs such as "Look at Me Now", "Super Bass", and "Party Rock Anthem".[3] Following the success of their covers, they were signed in 2011 to Epic Records, which was relaunched under L.A. Reid. In May 2012, Karmin released their debut EP, Hello, which spawned the singles "Brokenhearted" and "Hello" and received mixed reviews. "Brokenhearted" reached the top 20 in the US Billboard Hot 100 charts, and the top 10 in New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom, while "Hello" reached number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs charts in the United States.[4] In March 2014, the duo released their debut album, Pulses. The album's lead single, "Acapella", charted in the top 10 in Australia and New Zealand, and went Gold in the United States. They left Epic Records in the middle of 2014 and have since released music independently. Their second album Leo Rising is scheduled to be released in the summer of 2016.[5]

Karmin is currently managed by[6] Nils Gums,[7] who founded The Complex Group, Inc., an artist development and management firm.

Rolling Stone named Karmin's lead singer Amy as the winner of "Women Who Rock" contests.[8]

Life and career

Early life and career beginnings

Amy Heidemann and Nick Noonan met while attending Berklee College of Music in Boston, from which they graduated in 2008.[9] Heidemann is a graduate of Seward High School in Nebraska. Noonan graduated from Old Town High School in Maine, where he was a member of the concert band and jazz ensemble. The duo has also been a couple since September 2005.[10] On March 14th, 2016 the couple posted a special announcement to their Snapchat channel "thenoonans", which featured a short video displaying Amy and Nick's left hands, each bearing a wedding ring. Later in the month Amy changed her twitter name from "Amy Heidemann" to "Amy Noonan", confirming that they are married.

The duo's popularity grew from an appearance on the daytime talk show as well as exposure on YouTube, achieving more than 250 million views.[11] The duo gained popularity after being discussed on reddit,[12] and their video for "Look at Me Now" was posted on Ryan Seacrest's blog.[13] The group later thanked reddit by giving the reddit alien mascot a prominent place in their video for their cover of "6 Foot 7 Foot".[14]

2011–12: Hello and commercial breakthrough

After anticipation and speculation concerning Karmin signing with a record label,[15][16] the group announced on June 2, 2011 that they had been signed by a major record label.[17] Reports indicated, with confirmation from an industry insider, that the group had signed with Epic Records as part of L.A. Reid's return to the company.[18][19][20] On their official website they asked their fans about what they wanted to hear on their album, and about 50% said they would like to have rapping.[21]

In late June, 2012, the duo entered the studio to record their debut studio album and have collaborated with producers Warryn Campbell, Kane Beatz, Jon Jon Traxx, The Runners, Kwamé, D'Mile, Oak and Andrew "Pop" Wansel, Harvey Mason, Jr. of The Underdogs, Tricky Stewart, Rodney "Don Vito" Richard, The Exclusives, J. R. Rotem, Sham 'Sak Pase' Joseph, Christian Rich, Hit-Boy, The Fliptones, Kenneth "Soundz" Coby, The Composer, Stargate, with writing assistance from Claude Kelly, Elite, Redd Stylez, Kevin McCall, Audio Push, Corey Houston, Bonnie McKee, Kelly Sheehan, Heather Bright, Henry "Cirkut" Walter and Diane Warren.[22] Both Heidemann and Noonan worked to maintain original songs and ideas, while working toward mainstream and pop music. They cited L.A. Reid's understanding of their musical background to be helpful in this process.[23]

"Hello" was released on May 7, via digital download.[24]

2012–14: Pulses, and headlining tour.

On September 6, 2012, the duo confirmed via Twitter that they were in the process of making their first LP. It was first reported that the album would be released in November 2012, but the group stated on a Ustream chat that the album would not come out in November, they would be in the studio the whole month of November to record it. In December, 2012, the duo started to make appearances at live shows and concerts. On December 31, 2012 – January 1, 2013, Karmin performed as part of the ABC network's Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve '13 with Ryan Seacrest show; the duo played their hit "Hello". On January 1, 2013, Karmin performed on ABC network's Good Morning America; the duo played "Brokenhearted".

On February 26, 2013, the duo released a studio cover of Drake's song "Started from the Bottom" as a promotional single and first release of their, "Manic Mondays" releases. It was released digitally for free download.[25] One week later they also released a mash-up studio cover for "Karate Chop/Sweet Dreams" by Future also as a promotional single. They released the single digitally for free download.[26]

In late April 2013, Big Time Rush announced the track listing of their album, 24/Seven, which features a collaboration with Karmin, entitled "Song for You". It was released on June 11, 2013.

Then on May 30, Amy said at the BMI Pop Awards that the new single would feature her rapping.[27] It was later confirmed that the single's name would be "Acapella". On June 10, it was announced that they would be the opening act for Jonas Brothers on their upcoming 2013 tour and in the same day they also premiered their first single "Acapella" from their debut album on the Elvis Duran Show on Z100. On June 23, the duo said via Twitter that "Acapella" would be released digitally sometime in July, as part of the "Acapella Month" campaign which also featured live performances.[28] The song debuted at number 98 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and two weeks later peaked at number 72.[4]

On October of the same year the album became available for pre-order at Walmart's website, which listed a release date of December 31, 2013.[29]

On October 28, 2013 they announced their 2014 Pulses tour.[30] The first leg of the tour started in Baltimore on January 29, 2014[31] with 16 dates and ended in California on February 22, 2014.[32] Karmin toured with singer-songwriter Bryce Vine. Karmin's first full-length album Pulses was released March 25, 2014. Rolling Stone gave it 1–1/2 stars.[33] The second leg of the tour began April 6, 2014" [34]

2014-Present: Split from Epic Records, and Leo Rising

Karmin performing in 2015

In 2014, after the release of their debut album Pulses, and after finishing the tour. Karmin split from Epic Records to become independent artists. In an interview with Billboard, Heidemann said: "We were hungry to try a more musically honest approach. We wanted to be a little bit nerdier than we think they had hoped" as to the reasons they decided to leave.[35]

Six months after the release of their debut Pulses, Karmin released a single with rapper George Watsky titled "No Flex Zone (Remix)". It was inspired by the song "No Flex Zone" by Rae Sremmurd. The music video was released on September 26, 2014 on their YouTube channel, and the KarminVevo YouTube channel.[36][37] The Song features rapping from both Watsky and Amy. It was produced by Nick Noonan.

Karmin are working on their second album, Leo Rising, which is scheduled to be released in 2016.[5] three singles were released prior to the release of the lead single Didn't Know You have been released since October 2014. "Sugar" was released on October 8, 2014. "Yesterday" was released on October 24, 2014, and "Along the Road" was released March 25, 2015. The names of some songs have been confirmed through their official Twitter page, including "Everything," "Blame It On My Heart," "Save Me Now," "Young in Love" and several others. "Yesterday" and "Young in Love" were removed from the final track listing as confirmed on the official Karmin website.

"Try Me On" one of the tracks from Karmin's debut album Pulses was featured in the Trailer for Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.[38]

On May 6, 2015, Karmin released their self-titled app that they described as "totally free". It contains multiple free songs including "Sugar", "Yesterday", Along The Road, and the lead single from "Leo Rising" titled "Didn't Know You". "Didn't Know You" was released on June 2, 2015 for digital download, with an acoustic version being later released only onto the Karmin app. Karmin filmed the music video for "Didn't Know You" in early May 2015, with the music video being released in July. In early September, Karmin released "Can't Live" onto the Karmin app, as well as "Easy Money" being released in late October onto the app. "Come With Me (Pure Imagination)," was released onto the app on Christmas Eve as a gift to their fans. "Blame It On My Heart," was released exclusively to the app on February 1, 2016. On March 11, 2016, "Save Me Now," the Capricorn track from Leo Rising was released to the app. On April 8, 2016, "Dance With You," the Aries track was released to their app.

Karmin has been releasing remix-covers throughout 2015 of popular and older songs. These covers include Rihanna's "Bitch Better Have My Money",[39] Smash Mouth's "Walking On The Sun",[40] Frank Sinatra's "That Old Black Magic"[41] and The Weeknd's "Can't Feel My Face."[42]

On May 25, 2015, Karmin performed for NET 2.0. They performed a setlist of songs from their EP Hello and from their debut album Pulses, "Acapella", along with a cover of Super Bass.

On October 8, 2015 Karmin released a cover of Justin Bieber's song "What Do You Mean?". The blues-rock production features Jeff "Gitty" Gitelman on the guitar.[43]

On February 7, 2016 Wild Culture released the Sugar EP in collaboration with Karmin. It features 3 remixes of "Sugar" and a remix of Riley Pearce's single "Brave".[44]

The single, "Come With Me (Pure Imagination)," was made available for pre-order on iTunes a week before its release on February 19, 2016. It is the Leo track from Leo Rising.[45]

Albums

Title Album details
US
[46]
Karmin Covers, Vol. 1 —
Hello
  • Released: May 4, 2012
  • Label: Epic Records
    •
  • Format: Digital download
 18
Pulses
  • Released: March 25, 2014
  • Label: Epic Records
    •
  • Format: Digital download
 32

Singles

Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds)		 Album
US
[47]		 US Dance
[47]		 US Pop
[47]		 AUS
[48]		 BEL
[49]		 CAN
[47]		 IRL
[50]		 NZ
[51]		 UK
[52]
"Crash Your Party" 2011 — — 36 — — — — — — N/A
"Brokenhearted" 2012 16 1 10 9 61 19 40 5 6 Hello (EP)
"Hello" 62 1 16 72 — 72 — 21 —
"Acapella" 2013 72 — 34 4 30 64 — 9 — Pulses
"I Want It All" 2014 — — 39 — — — — — —
"Sugar" — — — — — — — — — N/A
"Yesterday" — — — — — — — — — N/A
"Along the Road" 2015 — — — — — — — — — N/A
"Didn't Know You" — — — — — — — — — Leo Rising
"Come With Me (Pure Imagination)" 2016 — — — — — — — — —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Awards and nominations

Year Nominated work Award Nomination Result
2011 Karmin American Music Award New Media Honoree Won
2012 MTV O Music Awards Web Born Star Won[59]
Teen Choice Awards Breakout Group Won
Web Star Nominated
PopRepublic It List Awards Breakthrough Artist Won
Best Intl Group Nominated
"Brokenhearted" Best Single Won
Hello Best Album Nominated
2014 Karmin World Music Awards World's Best Group Nominated
World's Best Live Act
"Acapella" World's Best Song
World's Best Video

References

  1. ↑ "Karmin: 7 Things You Don't Know About the Pop Duo - ABC News". go.com. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  2. ↑ "About Us — KarminMusic". karminmusic.com.
  3. ↑ "Before they were famous: Karmin on youtube.", "Elvis Duran and the morning", 3/11/15
  4. 1 2 "Chart History - Karmin". Billboard. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  5. 1 2 Billboard Interview Karmin: http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/6509542/karmin-along-the-road-video-exclusive-interview
  6. ↑ "Board of Trustees Berklee College of Music".
  7. ↑ Robehmed, Natalie (30 May 2012). "The Model and the Money Behind Viral Hits". Forbes. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  8. ↑ "Karmin Interview with Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  9. ↑ Madden, Darry (6 February 2012). "The Mastermind Behind Karmin". Berklee College of Music.
  10. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/karminbook/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  11. ↑ "Karmincovers". youtube channel. YouTube. Retrieved 2011-12-05.
  12. ↑ "Cute Chick Busts Busta Rhymes' Rhymes". Reddit. reddit.com. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
  13. ↑ "YouTube Singer Gives Nicki Minaj A Run For Her Money". Ryan Seacrest. ryanseacrest.com. Retrieved 2011-08-04.
  14. ↑ "Karmin's Cover of 6' 7'". Karmin. Youtube. April 27, 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
  15. ↑ "Meet Karmin A Cinderella Story Born On Youtube". Meet Karmin. bark and bite blog. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
  16. ↑ "YouTube Sensation Karmin Stays Prepared As Record Labels Loom". Article (LA Times). May 17, 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
  17. ↑ "Breaking News". breaking news. karminmusic.com.
  18. ↑ "LA Reid to Head Up Epic Label Group". LA Reid. rap-up.com. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
  19. ↑ Halperin, Shirley (15 June 2011). "X Factor Judge LA Reid". xfactor (hollywoodreporter.com).
  20. ↑ "Karmin and Coolroy Perform". Karmin and Coolroy. bmi.com. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
  21. ↑ "Karmin Wows B96 With A Special Acoustic Performance & Chats With Stylz & Roman". B96 Chicago. October 20, 2011.
  22. ↑ "Karmin To Release Debut Album in Early 2012". Monica Mania. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
  23. ↑ "Karmin Told Us So: Discussing ‘HELLO’ with Amy, Nick, and Epic Records.".
  24. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Hello by Karmin". iTunes. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  25. ↑ "Karmin - "Started From the Bottom (Remix)"". SoundCloud. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  26. ↑ "Karate Chop/Sweet Dreams". SoundCloud. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  27. ↑ "Rap-Up TV: Karmin Readies Full-Length Debut for Fall". Rap-Up. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  28. ↑ "TURN IT UP TUESDAY: What’s New In Stores This Week (July 9) - POP! Goes The Charts". POP! Goes The Charts. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  29. ↑ "karmin pulses - Walmart.com". Walmart.com. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  30. ↑ "Karmin Announce "Pulses" Headline Tour, New Single and Album Coming Soon". Directlyrics. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  31. ↑ "Karmin". Songkick. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  32. ↑ "Karmin". Songkick. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  33. ↑ "Karmin Pulses Album Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  34. ↑ "Karmin". Songkick. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  35. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/6509542/karmin-along-the-road-video-exclusive-interview
  36. ↑ Karmin and Wastky - No Flex Zone (Official) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YO0w62af5c
  37. ↑ Karmin, Wastky - No Flex Zone (Remix) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAS_Yx38nrA
  38. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=mNKEKlXY3Z4
  39. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH3z2_jSZbA
  40. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX_WkScEXvU
  41. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u5QhaOpqNs
  42. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jcFQUvyFy4
  43. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfUvc34cdBg
  44. ↑ https://open.spotify.com/album/7sWL70dK08IFPIbbfWAVc9
  45. ↑ https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/come-me-pure-imagination-single/id1080769829
  46. ↑ "Karmin – Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
  47. 1 2 3 4 "Karmin Debuts Video for Broken Hearted". Billboard. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
  48. ↑ "Karmin – Australian Charts". australian-charts.com/ Hung Medien.
  49. ↑ "Karmin – Belgian Charts". ultratop.be/.
  50. ↑ "Irish Singles Chart – Week 32". IRMA. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  51. ↑ "Karmin – New Zealand Charts". charts.org.nz/ Hung Medien.
  52. ↑ "Official Chart Archive > Karmin". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  53. ↑ "RIAA - Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - March 30, 2015". Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  54. ↑ "Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 29 July 2012.
  55. ↑ "Canadian digital certifications – Karmin – Brokenhearted". Music Canada.
  56. 1 2 Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (13 August 2012). "Certifications (Searchable Database)". RIANZ. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  57. ↑ "Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 29 July 2013.
  58. ↑ "Canadian digital certifications – Karmin – Acapella". Music Canada.
  59. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tysv_GTL_xY

External links

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