There was a time, many years ago, when people discovered new music through radio stations. Unknown musicians and new bands didn’t need huge record companies to get exposure because they only needed to deliver music and find their audience through radio airplays.
But alas, times have changed. With artistes under major record labels plaguing radio stations, new musicians have instead found their audience through social media sites and music sharing platforms like YouTube and Vine. Sharing a similar story as every other YouTube musician and Vine artiste, Michael and Carissa Rae Alvarado aka Us The Duo, are currently enjoying their newfound fame after their cover videos on Vine went viral.
This pair of ridiculously good-looking husband-and-wife team, who randomly met and fell in love at a music video shoot, emerged in the music scene with their infamous #6SecondCovers on their official Vine account. With over 4 million followers on Vine, they scored themselves a record deal with Republic Records and subsequently had their song “No Matter Where You Are” featured on last year’s animated movie, “The Book of Life“.
Little did they know, they’d travel around the world to perform, sharing their love for each other and their passion for music with their fans. This past Sunday (5th July) night, the folk-pop duo reached Malaysian shores for their first Malaysian showcase at the Bentley Music Auditorium in Petaling Jaya.
Jin of JinnyboyTV hosted the showcase and helped build up the hype before officially inviting Us The Duo on stage. Fans collectively let out high-pitched screams, but quickly quietened when the couple started performing.
The duo kicked off the night by performing “Make You Mine”, a track off their 2nd album titled “No Matter Where You Are”. With their beautifully harmonised set of vocals, the Alvarados serenaded the crowd into a peaceful state of mind by delivering their acoustic tune. Love can be felt throughout the entire show, as the musical performances from the husband-and-wife team took us through a journey of their relationship.
From guitar to piano to percussion, the Vine sensations put out quite an impressive show as they displayed their music skill by playing a large array of instruments. Not to mention, the fact that they wrote and sang most of their songs made us think that they were really meant for each other!
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There’s no denying that they’re the ultimate “relationship goal” as the lovebirds constantly show off their undeniable chemistry throughout the entire show, especially then they sat down together for a rendition of their single, “Slow Down Time”. At one point, the way they looked at each other and joked around onstage had the crowd saying “Aww..” in unison.
As if that wasn’t enough to convince us that they’re the most down-to-earth married couple in the world, Michael and Carissa brought a spine-chilling moment with their sultry rendition of “Sway”. When the crowd sang along to their rendition of “Missin’ You Like Crazy”, Michael teased and complimented fans by saying that they sounded beautiful. Not ones to disappoint their fans, they further belted out a show-stopping mashup cover of the most popular hit singles.
Towards the end of the show, the talented singers, who are close to a capella group Pentatonix, performed a hair-raising duet of “Like I’m Gonna Lose You”. Despite the difference in their vocal range, they found a way to harmonise with each other as their voices complemented each other. The night ended beautifully with their rendition of “No Matter Where You Are”, one of their favourite tracks that was also highly anticipated by fans. As a token of their appreciation, Michael and Carissa gleefully took a group selfie with their fans and even got down from the stage to greet them.
Special thanks to our friends from Universal Music Malaysia for the invite. We hope to see the lovely duo back in Malaysia for a full-scale concert soon :)
For more information, visit their official website. Of course, don’t forget to follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Vine for more timely updates and their famed half-faced videos.
