5 million Youtube subscribers. 900 million video views (and counting). Yup, we’re talking about none other than music maestros Sam Tsui and Kurt Hugo Schneider. Ever since they started making song covers in late 2008, these bona fide Youtube stars have gone on to achieve unimaginable fame around the world. They’ve even collaborated with celebrities like Victoria Justice, mega companies such as Coco Cola, and made appearances on Oprah Winfrey and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. How’s that for street cred?
With the success of their first Asian tour in 2013, the dynamic duo are set to head back to Singapore and Hong Kong this coming June! They may even have given our island a boost on the world map by filming their 2013 pop medley on the top of Marina Bay Sands, ushering in a stream of comments with the word ‘’Singapore!!’’ in it. We’re pretty sure the Singapore Tourism Board loves them as well.
In addition to a slew of fresh covers, the boys also have some exciting new material up their sleeves. We got the chance to speak to Sam Tsui regarding the original work they have in store for us, the part Singapore has played in their musical journey, and the immense passion they have for producing great music. Also, find out Sam’s feel-good song (hint: it’ll definitely make you want to get up and dance too).
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Rebecca: This upcoming tour is going to be your second time in Singapore! What was the most memorable part of your visit the last time?
Sam: Our last visit was so incredible, it’s hard to pick a favourite thing – besides the show itself, which was obviously the most incredible moment of the trip, shooting a video (our 2013 Pop Medley) in the Infinity Pool at Marina Bay Sands was pretty memorable!! It was so cool incorporating Singapore into our work!
Were you surprised by the huge fan following here?
We knew that we had a lot of fans in Singapore thanks to social media and analytics we have that tell us where our videos are being watched and our music downloaded – but that still didn’t prepare us for actually seeing how many people came out to the show and how excited they were to see us!! It was unreal!
We understand you have some original material lined up for this tour. Tell us more about what we can expect.
I released my debut original album, “Make It Up” last year, and we’ll be performing a lot of those songs in our set for this tour – but we’ve also got some brand new material that no one’s heard yet that I’m so excited to share this time around – it’s gonna be wild!
Having produced videos for more than 5 years running, how do you keeps things fresh and creative?
We have so much passion and love for what we do that constantly one-upping ourselves is a huge priority! Especially as we move into more and more original work, it’s super important to me to be unique, creative, and make music that our fans will not only love, but want to share with their friends!
You guys have done so many amazing collaborations as well. Which Youtube artistes are you looking forward to collaborating with in the future?
There are SO many incredibly talented people making music on Youtube, and we’re lucky enough to have many of them as our friends. There are so many artists out there I’d love to work with, so maybe…Pentatonix? They’re doing so incredibly well, and we went to school and have worked with Kevin (their beat boxer) in the past – doing something with them would be a ton of fun!
Who are some of your personal musical influences?Â
I absolutely love 80’s music – Journey, Queen, Elton John, Michael Jackson, Phil Collins – I love indulgently epic and emotional music, and really anything with powerhouse vocals.
Lastly, tell us the one song you could listen to all day and not get tired of.
Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston – just can’t help but feel good when that song comes on!!
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Do grab your tickets to the Sam Tsui & Kurt Hugo Asia Tour before they sell out, especially if you’re looking forward to a Meet & Greet! Tickets are available at SISTIC
Event Details
Sam Tsui & Kurt Hugo Asia Tour – Singapore
Date: 27th June, Friday
Venue: Kallang Theatre
Time: 8.00PM
Tickets: Cat 1 – $118 inclusive of Meet & Greet session
Cat 2 – $78
Cat 3 – $58
Photo credits: Â Launchgroup