The pop duo Karmin broke big last year with a string of clever, immensely sassy covers of hits by acts such as Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Foster the People, Katy Perry, Chris Brown, Lady Antebellum and LMFAO. Their videos became viral smashes on YouTube, which led to several television appearances and a contract with Epic Records, who will release the band’s first album of original material this spring. This weekend they’ll make their debut appearance on Saturday Night Live. Rolling Stone chatted with the duo about playing on that show, their desire to keep connected to their YouTube audience and what it’s like to plan their wedding – yes, they are an actual couple! – while working hard to establish themselves as pop stars.
You’re going to be on Saturday Night Live this weekend,
which is a pretty big break for you, especially since you made your
name mainly on the internet. Do you think you’re opening a door for
other acts who are making music on YouTube?
Nick Noonan:
That would be absolutely phenomenal. We’re just going to try to just do
the best we possibly can do with every situation, and we feel like we
have something really really special and unique, and if this creates a
new model then that’s unbelievable, but we’re just trying to do what we
do, you know?
