YouTube stars David Choi and Cimorelli are coming to Manila
MANILA, Philippines – From the organizers of the massive Wanderland music festival and the producers of independent concerts for the alt set (French act Phoenix, London’s Bastille and of most recent note, Alt+J), Karpos Multimedia brings Click Play: The Social Media Festival to Manila on Nov. 22 at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City.
Click Play is headlined by YouTube legend Ryan Higa (youtube.com/nigahiga), social media-bred Hollywood and television actor Ki Hong Lee, singer-songwriter David Choi, sibling act Cimorelli and much more. Supreme sits down with David Choi and Cimorelli on how content creation in the digital age catapulted their respective careers.
David Choi
Singer-songwriter David Choi found fame after posting his first music video on YouTube, titled YouTube: A Love Song and in a week, it had received an overwhelming half-a-million views. This launched Choi’s idea to continue producing witty lyrics and high quality content for his soon-to-be-reckoned fans and viewership.
SUPREME: Can you briefly share with us your initial experiences with YouTube as a self-published singer and artist?
DAVID CHOI: YouTube as a self-publishing singer-songwriter was a challenging yet fulfilling experience for me. It still is. I really was lucky that I was able to learn about the business side of the industry at a young age so I wasn’t ever taken advantage of. The ability to almost instantaneously upload content and share it with the world was an amazing thing.
What drew you to the medium?
Boredom.
If you could look back to 2006 and 240p videos, can you tell us about how it felt when YouTube A Love Song started to go viral?
It scared the hell out of me. I was a shy kid when I uploaded it and there it was for the entire world to see. People ask why I uploaded it if I was so shy, but at the time, the online audience was almost “fake” and didn’t really exist to me. When I see it now, it really feels like yesterday. I’ve been so blessed to have met so many amazing people, make great friends, and travel all over the world doing what I love — play music.
What’s the best advice you could give to an aspiring YouTuber who wants to start producing content in 2015?
Upload what your heart desires and you will find yourself and your flow. I think it’s important to work on your craft as a musician. This day and age, everyone can do everything so I think it’s important to at least learn the basics. Information is free on YouTube!
Cimorelli
Known for their tight harmonies, Christina, Katherine, Lisa, Amy, Lauren and Dani (ranging in age from 15 to 24 years old) started their group in 2007, playing many local gigs in Northern California after having spent several years in musical theater. In 2009, a top London music manager discovered their a cappella cover of Miley Cyrus’ song Part in the USA on YouTube, which led to a record deal with Universal label Island Records.
?SUPREME: Having grown from creating videos online to a record deal now with Universal label’s Island Records and going on tour, how has your relationship with YouTube changed? Do you do more or less?
CIMORELLI: We have realized how important it is to continuously create content so we can consistently connect with our viewers. The biggest thing we’ve learned is that it’s all about relationships, and maintaining your relationship with the people who support you is so important. We are so thankful to the people who watch our videos and listen to our music, and we truly enjoy engaging with them on a regular basis and hearing their stories and sharing moments with them at our concerts! That’s the most important thing for us.
What’s the best advice you can give to an aspiring YouTuber/performer/singer who wants to start producing content in 2015?
It’s important to have your own “thing” so that people can differentiate you from everything else that’s out there. For us, it was that we’re all sisters, and there are six of us, and we have a very specific, bizarre sense of humor that I think our fans really connect with. People latched on to that, and it made us stand out as a very unique group.
So when you figure out what it is that makes you unique as an artist, do everything you can to protect that, because that’s your most powerful tool in the industry. YouTube is an awesome place of opportunity to connect with people all over the world. Have fun with your videos, and put your own unique spin on them!
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Click Play: The Social Media Festival is on Nov. 22, SMX Convention Center MOA, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City.
For more information, log on to http://www.clickplayfestival.com or click onto @clickplayfest on social media with the official hashtag #ClickPlayFest. VIP tickets are already sold out. Regular tickets still available at SM Tickets.
