Karmin

Karmin emerged as the creative vehicle for singer and rapper Amy Heidemann together with Nick Noonan, who shaped a hybrid of pop and hip-hop they labeled "swag-pop." Heidemann spent her childhood in a modest Nebraska community and first recognized her vocal ability in sixth grade, while Noonan developed into a competition-winning trombonist and dedicated classic-rock enthusiast during his upbringing in Maine. The two first crossed paths in 2006 at Boston’s Berklee College of Music, where Heidemann pursued studies in songwriting, performance, and business while Noonan advanced toward a professional career on trombone, appearing alongside artists such as Paul Simon and Herbie Hancock. Although the eventual couple experimented with music for class projects, they did not consider turning their partnership into a professional endeavor until after graduation. Deriving the group name from the Latin term “carmen” for “sing” fused with “karma,” Karmin issued its first recording, Inside Out, in 2010; the project carried a predominantly acoustic texture, with Noonan striking a wooden box in place of a proper drum set. The duo also uploaded original material to YouTube, yet soon realized that listeners were unlikely to seek out those tracks, prompting them instead to interpret current Top 40 singles and thereby ignite widespread online interest.

Their April 2011 YouTube rendition of Chris Brown’s “Look at Me Now” attracted notice from Ryan Seacrest, Diplo, ?uestlove, and the Game, among others; subsequent takes on Lil Wayne’s “6 Foot 7” and Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass” quickly followed, showcasing both Heidemann’s rap delivery and her singing range. During the same period, Karmin’s original track “Take It Away” appeared in promotional spots for the 2011 NBA Finals. Epic Records signed the act that June, and work began on a debut album. Now relocated to Los Angeles, the pair collaborated with producer Jon Jon Traxx on material that included “Take It Away,” “Brokenhearted,” and “I Told You So,” the latter two performed on Saturday Night Live in February 2012. Hello reached stores in May 2012. Karmin resurfaced in 2013 with the single “Acapella,” which climbed to prominence in Australia and New Zealand even though it reached only number 72 on the U.S. chart. Throughout the following year the duo refined its first major-label full-length, Pulses, ultimately released in March 2014. Once the accompanying tour concluded, Karmin departed Epic Records to secure greater artistic autonomy. The pair then turned its attention to a second album, Leo Rising, whose songs drew inspiration from the zodiac. Several singles and the EP Sugar arrived ahead of Leo Rising’s September 2016 release, and the group also produced a video for every track on the record.