These include first-hand accounts from those who were there in Iovine's early days, such as Bruce Springsteen and U2's Bono, as well as those on board when Dre and Iovine joined forces, such as Snoop Dogg and Eminem. The Defiant Ones recounts their histories, their tribulations and their wild success. The Defiant Ones is a four-part HBO documentary telling the story of an unlikely duo taking the music business by storm seems better suited for fantastical pages of a comic book, but for engineer-turned-mogul Jimmy Iovine and super-producer Dr. In a year rife with quality music documentaries and series, the bar has been set high for this dynamic category.

The team behind The Defiant Ones celebrated a big win for Best Music Film at the 60th GRAMMY Awards. The crew awarded include director Allen Hughes and producers Sarah Anthony, Fritzi Horstman, Broderick Johnson, Gene Kirkwood, Andrew Kosove, Laura Lancaster, Michael Lombardo, Jerry Longarzo, Doug Pray & Steven Williams. GRAMMY ReImagined Is Back With More Covers The trick is knowing what will take off next and, more importantly, having the talent and consistency to capitalize on the opportunity. Sometimes it's easier for songwriters to get lost in a composition they didn't create, the same way it's easier to get lost in a house you didn't build.

'Don't work with musicians unless they meet your standards,' the blog advises, wisely.ĭespite the strategy, for many artists, there is a joy of covering songs that is a reward in itself. SonicBids' analysis goes on to note that Masse's consistency in posting new material on YouTube contributed to the success of their 'Africa' cover, but also reiterates the importance of the talent of the collaborators you choose, calling out spot-on harmony vocals from bassist Jeff Hall as the viral video's x-factor. A request for Weezer to cover 'Africa' recently caught enough web attention to convince the band to tackle the classic, so clearly all of the song's fans worldwide still hadn't–or couldn't–get enough. But popularity doesn't necessarily mean a song should be avoided. A familiar tune can bridge the gap between the eager fan and an unfamiliar artist, but a quick search of any of today's biggest songs can also turn up a sea of competition. In the case of many viral hits, choosing the right cover is where the magic happens. In fact, many viral YouTube cover videos rely on their low visual production quality to highlight the musical performance. What about the look? Masse's video is a single shot of he and a bandmate playing at a pizza parlor. Masse's voice not only evokes visions of Toto singer-at-the-time Joseph Williams, he sings the song with a combination of skillful accuracy and authentic passion listeners are looking–or rather listening–for today. But as SonicBids' blog points out, the crux of why this YouTube cover took off like a rocket is talent. It's tempting to look at the video's 11+ million views and point to the success of the source material – after all, you read it right here that 'Africa' is allegedly considered by science as the 'best' song ever (a case we would bet is far from closed). So what makes a cover work and what doesn't? Perhaps a revisit of Mike Masse's 2010 viral cover of Toto's 'Africa' can shed some light. And as an emerging artist, covers can be a tool to get your talents in front of a new audience. But cover songs are all around us (consider the popularity of modern singing competition shows). For these two budding pop stars, covers were the ticket to success.

Cara covered the likes of Amy Winehouse, Justin Bieber, Maroon 5, and more. In Mendes' case, he spent his early teenage years covering everyone from Adele and Rhianna to Leonard Cohen and Lynyrd Skynyrd on his way to pop stardom. From Shawn Mendes to Alessia Cara, many artists of many genres have taken this tack to success, but many, many more have tried and missed the mark. Posting a cover on YouTube is a well-worn path for independent artists seeking to traverse the internet jungle and land the attention of an audience.

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