Since it began in 2005, YouTube has become the hub for online entertainment. Music is a huge part of the site, allowing users to connect not only with mainstream artists but also with independent artists. These independent artists use YouTube to make music on their own terms. This had led to new and exciting ways to make music videos that are unique and unlike anything you'd ever hear on the radio. One of these musical formats is the mashup, which takes parts of multiple songs and combines them into one piece. Mashups are a great way to hear your favorite songs in a new way, and there's no shortage of them all over YouTube. Here are 9 of my favorite mashups from the past 9 years.
2009: Michael Jackson Medley
YouTube creators Sam Tsui and Kurt Hugo Schneider started uploading videos to YouTube in 2008 while students at Yale University. What started as a fun hobby quickly manifested into a collection of viral videos, kicking off with this Michael Jackson Medley. 6 "Sam Clones" sing this a capella arrangement consisting of 8 Michael Jackson hits as a tribute to the recently passed King of Pop. The video went viral within a month of posting, catching the attention of Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, and countless others and leading to a performance of the medley on the Oprah Winfrey Show. You can find this track on iTunes or Google Play.
2010: Miracles
YouTube mashup artist Norwegian Recycling wows with this incredible medley featuring 16 hit songs from a wide range of genres. The parts selected from each song come together to form a song with a great beat and a positive message, encouraging the listener to believe in miracles. Check out Norwegian Recycling's channel full of innovative mashups here.
2011: 2011 Summer Pop Medley
Sam & Kurt are back again with a video that quickly became part of a longstanding tradition: the Summer Pop Medley. It's a medley of Lady Gaga's "The Edge Of Glory", Pitbull's "Give Me Everything" featuring Ne-Yo, "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)" by Katy Perry, LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem", and Nicki Minaj's "Super Bass". On their own, some of these songs are still worthy of an eye-roll for being overplayed and downright obnoxious; together, however, they feel like a whole new song. The medley has "song of the summer" vibes without the headache that comes from hearing a song for the millionth time. If you're looking for more of their summer pop medleys, check out this playlist.
2012: Britney Spears Medley
Sam Tsui is back yet again with a medley of 14 Britney Spears hits. The medley, arranged and performed by the singer, was released in 2012 and is truly a creative way to bring all these hit songs together into 5 minutes and 39 seconds of epic music. Besides, who doesn't love Britney Spears?
2013: Disney Dudez
Todrick Hall is another YouTube creator who uses his many talents, often in collaboration with other artists, to create incredible videos. Disney Dudez, featuring boyband IM5, is an excellent example. The members of IM5 play Disney princesses and their prince counterparts in this hilarious musical tale that opens with each princess breaking up with their prince. Todrick plays a janitor in mouse ears who finds the princes moping and suggests they start a boyband to win back their princesses. And don't worry folks: in true Disney fashion, there's a happy ending for everyone.
If you enjoy this video, be sure to check out the two sequels, Disney Dudez 2 and Disney Dudez 3.
2014: Let It Go/Let Her Go
Sam Tsui is back once more with a simple piano mashup of Frozen's "Let It Go" and Passenger's "Let Her Go". The arrangement highlights Sam's vocals and emotional capabilities while showcasing his talent for bringing seemingly different songs into one cohesive piece. It has almost 31 million views (at time of publication) and is currently the second most popular video on Sam's channel.
2015: Thinking Out Loud / I'm Not The Only One
Ed Sheeran's hit song "Thinking Out Loud" meets Sam Smith's soulful ballad "I'm Not The Only One" in this brilliant mashup featuring Sam Tsui and fellow YouTube artist Casey Breves. Their voices are the star of this video, complimenting each other as if they were made to sing together. This mashup is the most popular video on Sam's channel at 37 million views (at time of publication). The energy between Sam and Casey in this romantic mashup is nothing short of magical, and for good reason: Sam and Casey were married in 2016, proving that this talented musical duo are the ultimate relationship goals. You can check out Casey's YouTube channel here and grab this track on iTunes or Google Play.
2016: 2016 POP MEDLEY/Epic Mannequin Challenge!!
This medley, the latest in Sam and Kurt's annual tradition of pop medleys, features 30 hit songs from 2016 and multiple pop culture references for that year, including Pokémon, water bottle flipping, and Eleven from the popular Netflix series Stranger Things. The video is shot in one take, a format that is difficult to pull off in even the simplest of videos. Add in the element of a mannequin challenge featuring fans from the LA area, and you have a video that is practically impossible to do well but beyond worth the effort needed to make it happen. The 2016 Pop Medley appears effortless as Sam moves throughout the house singing his clever arrangement of every song you're still missing from 2016.
2017: 4 The 2000s
Todrick Hall is back with everything great about the 2000s. This 58 song medley includes boyband jams, dance club hits, and all the slow bops you had forgotten about, along with clever shirts referencing Mean Girls, Napoleon Dynamite, and the Harry Potter series. And don't worry, Todrick also made a similar video with all 90s hits that you can check out here.
I hope you enjoyed these great mashups! And if you are looking for more great music like this, be sure to check out Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider, Norwegian Recycling, Todrick Hall, and Casey Breves!
