LA TIMES: Karmin drops covers, finds success with album 'Hello'

May 10, 2012
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2012/05/karmin-finds-success…

Nearly a year ago, pop duo Karmin found itself the music industry’s most exciting upstart after becoming a viral YouTube sensation. Their spit-polished, homespun covers of ubiquitous hits such as Chris Brown’s “Look At Me Now,” LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem” and Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass” garnered more than 100 million views and turned the heads of virtually every record label executive -- the pair even met with Kanye West. The duo -- whose name is a hybrid of the word “carmen,” which in Latin means “song,” and “Karma” -- consists of Berklee grads and real-life couple Amy Heidemann and Nick Noonan. With Heidemann’s chameleon-like ability to switch from pop diva to spunky femcee and Noonan’s deft musicianship (he’s probably the only crooner in today's Top 40 that can sling a trombone) they scored a high-profile deal with Sony Music Entertainment, the first signing under Antonio "L.A." Reid’s restructured Epic.