Karmin was an American pop duo consisting of Amy Renee Noonan and Nick Noonan.[5] Starting as a novelty act that released covers on YouTube, they signed in 2011 with Epic Records. In May 2012, Karmin released their debut EP Hello, which spawned the singles "Brokenhearted" and "Hello", and received mixed reviews. Rolling Stone named Karmin's lead singer Amy as the winner of "Women Who Rock" 2012 contests.[6] In March 2014, the duo released their debut album, Pulses. The album's lead single, "Acapella", charted in the top 10 in Australia and New Zealand, and went Gold in the United States. They left Epic Records in the middle of 2014 and have since released music independently. Their second album Leo Rising was released on September 9, 2016.[7]
Karmin | |
|---|---|
 Karmin in 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2010–2017 |
| Labels | |
| Past members |
|
In 2017, the duo disbanded Karmin to focus on Qveen Herby, Amy Noonan's alter ego. The project moves away from pop in favor of more of an R&B and hip-hop/rap sound.
Life and career
editEarly life and career beginnings
editAmy Heidemann and Nick Noonan met while attending Berklee College of Music in Boston, from which they graduated in 2008.[8] Heidemann is a graduate of Seward High School in Seward, Nebraska. Noonan graduated from Old Town High School in Old Town, Maine, where he was a member of the concert band and jazz ensemble. The duo has also been a couple since September 2005 and in March 2016 confirmed that they had married. That month, Amy changed her Twitter name from "Amy Heidemann" to "Amy Noonan".[9]
The duo's popularity grew due to exposure on YouTube, achieving more than 320 million views between two channels.[10] The name of the band is an American-accented homophone made from the Latin word carmen meaning "song" (also a Spanish female name), and the word karma, making the name Karmin.[11]
Music career
editKarmin signed with Epic Records,[12][13] and in late June 2011 entered the studio to record their debut studio EP, Hello,[14] which was released on May 7 via digital download.
Karmin performed as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live on February 11, 2012,[15] singing "Brokenhearted" and "I Told You So". Their performance received multiple negative reviews from critics, with USA Today ranking it among the worst musical acts on SNL in the 21st century.[16][17][18]
On February 26, 2013, the duo released a studio cover of Drake's song "Started from the Bottom" as a promotional single; a week later they also released a mash-up studio cover for "Karate Chop/Sweet Dreams" by Future also as a promotional single. They released the single digitally for free download.[citation needed] The single "Acapella" was released in July and debuted at number 98 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and two weeks later peaked at number 72.[19]
On October 28, 2013, they announced their 2014 Pulses tour,[20] and released the full-length album Pulses on March 25, 2014; Rolling Stone gave it 1–1/2 stars.[21]
2014–2016: Split from Epic Records and Leo Rising
editIn 2014, after the release of their debut album Pulses and the attendant tour, Karmin left Epic Records. In an interview with Billboard, Heidemann said: "We were hungry to try a more musically honest approach. We wanted to be a little bit nerdier than we think they had hoped".[22] Six months after the release of Pulses, in September 2014, Karmin released a single with rapper George Watsky titled "No Flex Zone (Remix)", inspired by the song "No Flex Zone" by Rae Sremmurd. It was produced by Nick Noonan.[citation needed] Later that year, Karmin began work on their second album, Leo Rising.[7] Two digital singles were released in 2014: "Sugar" on October 8, followed by "Yesterday" on October 24, 2014. Another single "Along the Road" was released on March 25, 2015, and was slated to be the lead single off the project, was later relegated as a promotional release.[citation needed]
In 2016, Wild Culture released the Sugar EP in collaboration with Karmin. It features three remixes of "Sugar" and a remix of Riley Pearce's single "Brave".[citation needed] The album Leo Rising was released on September 9, 2016.[citation needed]
2017–present: Qveen Herby
editAt the beginning of 2017, Amy Noonan revealed in a livestream that a Leo Rising tour would not be held in 2017, and if there was one it would be in 2018.[23] She also revealed that alongside the launch of a new website, new music was in the works.[24]
In 2017, all of Karmin's social media was rebranded to Qveen Herby and a small preview stating "Karmin Is Dead, Long Live the Queen" was posted. Noonan soon formally announced her solo career and launched the website Qveenherby.com.[25] The music video for Qveen Herby's first single "Busta Rhymes" was released on June 1, 2017, followed by the release of EP 1 a day later.[citation needed] The EP received positive reviews from critics, who praised Herby's rebranding as an artist and the exploration of R&B and hip hop music.[26] The EP also experienced fair success, peaking at number 37 on the US Billboard Independent Albums Chart and 13 on the US Heatseekers Albums chart.[citation needed]
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Sales | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [27] |
US Heat [28] |
US Indie [29] |
AUS [30] | |||
| Karmin Covers, Vol. 1 |
|
— | 27 | — | — | |
| Pulses |
|
32 | — | — | 46 |
|
| Leo Rising |
|
— | — | 27 | — | |
| "—" denotes a recording that failed to chart, was ineligible for the chart, or was not released. | ||||||
Extended plays
edit| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| US [27] | ||
| Inside Out[32] |
|
— |
| The Winslow Sessions[33] |
|
— |
| Hello |
|
18 |
| "—" denotes a recording that failed to chart, was ineligible for the chart, or was not released. | ||
Singles
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) |
Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [34] |
US Dance [35] |
US Pop [36] |
AUS [37] |
BEL [38] |
CAN [39] |
IRL [40] |
JPN [41] |
NZ [42] |
UK [43] | ||||
| "Take It Away" | 2011 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Winslow Sessions | |
| "Crash Your Party" | — | — | 36 | — | — | — | — | 88 | — | — | — | ||
| "Look at Me Now" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Karmin Covers, Vol. 1 | ||
| "Brokenhearted" | 2012 | 16 | 1 | 10 | 9 | 61 | 19 | 40 | — | 5 | 6 | Hello | |
| "Hello" | 62 | 1 | 16 | 72 | — | 72 | — | — | 21 | — | |||
| "Acapella" | 2013 | 72 | — | 34 | 4 | 30 | 63 | — | — | 9 | — | Pulses | |
| "I Want It All" | 2014 | — | — | 39 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Sugar" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Leo Rising | ||
| "Yesterday" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Along the Road" | 2015 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Leo Rising | |
| "Didn't Know You" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Come with Me (Pure Imagination)" | 2016 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Blame It on My Heart" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
As featured artist
edit| Song | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Dance Digital [52] | |||
| "Bang It Out" (Breathe Carolina featuring Karmin) |
2014 | 44 | Savages |
| "Young in Love" (Borgeous featuring Karmin)[53] |
2016 | — | 13 |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||
Promotional singles
edit| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Hold It Against Me" | 2011 | Karmin Covers, Vol. 1 |
| "Born This Way" | ||
| "Forget You" | ||
| "I Need a Doctor" | ||
| "Less Than Perfect" | ||
| "Just a Kiss" | ||
| "Super Bass" (featuring Questlove & Owen Biddle) |
— | |
| "I Told You So" | 2012 | Hello |
| "Sleigh Ride" | — | |
| "Pulses" | 2014 | Pulses |
| "Summer Nights" | Non-album singles | |
| "No Flex Zone (Remix)" (with Watsky) | ||
| "Maybelline" | 2015 | |
| "That Old Black Magic (Remix)" | ||
| "Bitch Better Have My Money" | ||
| "Can't Feel My Face" | ||
| "What Do You Mean?" | ||
| "Easy Money" | Leo Rising | |
| "Baby It's Cold Outside" | non-album singles | |
| "Panda (Remix)" | 2016 | |
| "Riverbend" | ||
| "All I Want For Christmas Is You" |
Other appearances
edit| Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Let's Go" | 2013 | Jonas Brothers | Live |
| "Song for You" | Big Time Rush | 24/Seven | |
| "Big Yellow Taxi" | 2014 | — | Home |
| "Flex" | 2016 | Futuristic | As Seen on the Internet |
| "Already Miss You" | Lucas Vidal | Realive | |
| "Big Girls Don't Cry | 2017 | — | Dirty Dancing |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Nominated work | Award | Nomination | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Karmin | American Music Award | New Media Honoree | Won |
| 2012 | MTV O Music Awards | Web Born Star | Won[54] | |
| Teen Choice Awards | Breakout Group | Won | ||
| Web Star | Nominated | |||
| PopRepublic It List Awards | Breakthrough Artist | Won | ||
| Best Intl Group | Nominated | |||
| "Brokenhearted" | Best Single | Won | ||
| Hello | Best Album | Nominated | ||
| 2014 | Karmin | World Music Awards | World's Best Group | Nominated |
| World's Best Live Act | ||||
| "Acapella" | World's Best Song | |||
| World's Best Video | ||||
| 2016 | Amy Heidemann | She Rocks Awards | 2016 Mad Skills Award | Won |
References
edit- ^ "INTERVIEW: Rapping With Pop Duo Karmin". Billboard.com. January 29, 2014.
- ^ a b "Karmin to 'Crash Your Party' With New Video, Album: Watch". Billboard.com.
- ^ "Hip-hop stars Karmin, Chance the Rapper to perform at WU". Studlife.com. September 26, 2013.
- ^ "Karmin Releases 'Acapella' Music Video: Watch". Billboard.com.
- ^ "Karmin: 7 Things You Don't Know About the Pop Duo - ABC News". go.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
- ^ "Karmin Interview with Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 20, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
- ^ a b "Exclusive Video Premiere: Karmin Go DIY Video Route for New Single 'Along The Road'". Billboard.com. March 24, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
- ^ Madden, Darry (February 6, 2012). "The Mastermind Behind Karmin". Berklee College of Music.
- ^ Bacardi, Francesca (March 18, 2016). "Karmin's Amy Heidemann and Nick Noonan Are Married". E! News.
- ^ "Karmincovers". youtube channel. YouTube. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
- ^ "About Us — KarminMusic". karminmusic.com. Archived from the original on June 20, 2012. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
- ^ "LA Reid to Head Up Epic Label Group". LA Reid. rap-up.com. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
- ^ Halperin, Shirley (June 15, 2011). "X Factor Judge LA Reid". xfactor. hollywoodreporter.com.
- ^ "Karmin To Release Debut Album in Early 2012". Monica Mania. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
- ^ "Karmin Perform on 'Saturday Night Live'". Rolling Stone. February 12, 2012.
- ^ Ryan, Patrick. "'SNL': 5 worst musical performances ever, including Ashlee Simpson and Kanye West". USA TODAY.
- ^ Hogan, Marc. "'SNL' Damage Report: How Badly Did Karmin Bomb?". Spin.
- ^ Eördögh, Fruzsina (February 13, 2012). "YouTube's Karmin savaged by "SNL" critics". The Daily Dot.
- ^ "Chart History - Karmin". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
- ^ "Karmin Announce "Pulses" Headline Tour, New Single and Album Coming Soon". Directlyrics. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
- ^ "Karmin Pulses Album Review". Rolling Stone. March 25, 2014. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
- ^ "Exclusive Video Premiere: Karmin Go DIY Video Route for New Single 'Along The Road'". Billboard.
- ^ "Qveen Herby Lately on Twitter". twitter.com. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
- ^ "Qveen Herby Lately on Twitter". twitter.com. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
- ^ "qveenherby". qveenherby. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
- ^ "Review: Qveen Herby Plays No Games on EP1 -Salute Magazine". salutemag.com. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
- ^ a b "Karmin – Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
- ^ "Karmin – Chart History: Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
- ^ "Karmin – Chart History: Independent Albums". Billboard. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
- ^ "australian-charts.com – Discography Karmin". ARIA via Hung Medien. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
- ^ "9 Albums That Flopped in 2014 (Or Did They?)". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
- ^ "Karmin – Inside Out - Amazon.com Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "Karmin – Bandcamp". Bandcamp. Archived from the original on February 27, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "Karmin Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
- ^ "Karmin Chart History: Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
- ^ "Karmin Chart History: Pop Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
- ^ "Karmin – Australian Charts". australian-charts.com/ Hung Medien.
- ^ "Karmin – Belgian Charts". ultratop.be/.
- ^ "Karmin Debuts Video for Broken Hearted". Billboard. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
- ^ "Irish Singles Chart – Week 32". IRMA. Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
- ^ Karmin Chart History". Billboard Japan Hot 100. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ "Karmin – New Zealand Charts". charts.nz.
- ^ "Official Chart Archive > Karmin". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
- ^ a b "RIAA - Gold & Platinum Searchable Database". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
- ^ "Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on February 8, 2010. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
- ^ "Canadian digital certifications – Karmin – Brokenhearted". Music Canada.
- ^ a b Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (August 13, 2012). "Certifications (Searchable Database)". RIANZ. Archived from the original on November 27, 2013. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
- ^ "Award". BPI. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
- ^ "2014-S64 | IFPI". ifpi.dk. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
- ^ "Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved July 29, 2013.
- ^ "Canadian digital certifications – Karmin – Acapella". Music Canada.
- ^ "Karmin Chart History". Billboard Dance/Electronic Digital Songs. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ "Young In Love (feat Karmin) – Single by Borgeous on Apple Music". itunes. December 19, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
- ^ "O Music Awards 2012 Winners List- Selena Gomez, Adam Lambert, Karmin!". YouTube. June 29, 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2020.