Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
MTV’s voting for Breakthrough Band of 2011 ends tomorrow morning, December 16 (on Beethoven’s birthday, no less) at 11 a.m. Eastern Time. What’s a “breakthrough band?” According to MTV a breakthough band is one “that went from near-obscurity to near-ubiquity.” So the folks at MTV have come up with list of favorites and leave it up to you to go out and vote!
Bands vying for the 2011 title include A Day To Remember, All Star Weekend, Big Time Rush, Black Veil Brides, Breathe Carolina, Foster The People, Hot Chelle Rae, Mindless Behavior, Odd Future and Young The Giant, and Karmin.
Amy Heidemann and Nick Noonan, otherwise known as the duo Karmin, came together at Boston’s Berkelee School of Music. It’s a head scratcher of a name, evoking an immediate image of a misspelled opera. But Karmin isn’t opera. According to its website, the name Karmin comes from the Latin word for song, carmen. But the spelling’s been altered to suggest a hint of “karma,” hence, “Karmin.”
Although the duo’s music is best described as “acoustic pop,” hip hop rhythms and other influences, including The Beatles, echo strongly in their music. Karmin’s excellent cover of Chris Brown’s “Look at Me Now,” has racked up more than 49 million views on YouTube!
Building an uber-loyal and immense following on YouTube, Karmin has skyrocketed over the past year, signing a record deal with Epic, a Sony label. Its first studio album is due out in February. Recently Karmin won an American Music Award for New Media.
