As of late, with my seemingly endless amounts of time this summer I have been able to come across quite a few interesting and unique artists (musical and otherwise), inspiring me to start a new series of articles highlighting and showcasing the talents of some of the creators that have caught my fancy! With this series of articles I hope to introduce and inspire you to indulge in something new and something that you may not have initially thought to give a try. Enjoy!
For the first installment of the artist spotlight, I have chosen the musical and YouTube duo known as Pomplamoose! Formed in the summer of 2008, the Californian music group consists of multi-instrumentalists and vocalists Nataly Dawn and Jack Conte. Pomplamoose was initially established through their YouTube channel where they began by posting simple recorded performances that followed a fairly straightforward philosophy:
- What you see is what you hear, meaning no lip-syncing for instruments or voice.
- If you hear it, at some point in the video you will see it — no hidden sounds!
As of today, their YouTube channel has 466,498 subscribers and over 100 million views. Through the success of their signature “VideoSong” covers and originals, the duo has been able to release 6 albums. Soon after their main channel took off, Dawn and Conte were also able to begin their own separate vlogging and music channels while of course still uploading videos and creating content for Pomplamoose.
Both lifelong musicians, the couple actually met as undergraduates at Stanford before they decided to form Pomplamoose. From there things just clicked and ever since they have been collaborating on creating original “no glitz” music and entertainment for all to enjoy. In fact, just recently this year, Dawn and Conte got married!
Although they tend to rack up quite a few views on their 3 channels, living life as a YouTube musician isn’t always easy and with the creation of the site Patreon, Dawn and Conte encourage their viewers to support their music and help them continue to be able to make amazing content! The concept is simple: by pledging $1 or more on the videos they put out, you have access to free mp3 downloads of their songs! However, the band also continues to emphasize that this is completely optional and no matter what, their videos are and will always be free.
Now to give you a little taste of what Pomplamoose truly is, I’ve selected 4 of my favourite pieces that they have uploaded thus far:
La Vie en Rose – Edith Piaf
Although it is definitely on the older side of their music, this is probably the most beautiful cover of Edith Piaf I’ve ever heard and honestly I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of listening to it.
Mister Sandman – The Chordettes
Again, this one is pretty dated and also a cover like a lot of their music, but a beautiful and upbeat piece nonetheless! It also features some skilled guitar playing from musician Ryan Lerman.
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go – Wham!
I love this cover because not only is it one of their first more put together music videos but it also adds such a lovely spin on a classic song that if I’m honest I didn’t like all that much before I heard this take on it.
Pay Attention – A Pomplamoose Original
Found on their newest album Besides, Pay Attention is one of my favourite Pomplamoose originals due to its intriguing cinematography and eclectic sound.
Honorable Mention – Suis-moi (Camille) – Nataly Dawn & Cyrille Aimée
Although this isn’t strictly Pomplamoose, it was uploaded to Nataly’s solo channel and I just had to at least include it as an honorable mention because it’s so amazing!! Featuring vocals from French singer, Cyrille Aimee, this cover of a song from the movie Le Petit Prince is just one of those songs that instantly improves your mood.
Alright, that’s about all for this segment of the Artist Spotlight! I hope you enjoyed this little review-esque piece and if you ended up liking what you heard, be sure to check out Pomplamoose. I’ll be back soon with more cool artists to feature and showcase, but in the meantime I hope this has inspired you to continue to try new things!