Karmin Prepare for 'SNL' Performance, Reveal Progress of Upcoming Album

Following in Lana Del Rey’s footsteps, Karmin are the latest internet sensation to score a Saturday Night Live gig. Scheduled to perform on February 11, Amy Heidemann and Nick Noonan spoke with Entertainment Weekly about nerves and gave an update on their album, titled Hello.

About the appearance, instrumentalist Noonan told the magazine: “[SNL] is like our coming-out party.”

SNL, however, isn’t the group’s first time on television. Heidemann and Noonan performed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, as well as on other programs. The duo, both Berklee College graduates, started out by playing covers on YouTube under channel Karmincovers before attracting any attention. Billboard claims it took them 36 songs before gaining quick and instant recognition for a take on Chris Brown’s “Look at Me Now,” which brought in 56 million views. Since then, Karmin were signed to Epic Records – the first act since Antonio “L.A.” Reid became chairman – and put out a 15-track EP of covers through iTunes.

In speaking with EW, Heidemann described the recording process, saying: “We’ve been working with some of the top producers of the world. We recorded close to 50 songs, so we’re trying to get that list down to album size.”

Claude Kelly, who wrote for Adam Lambert, Bruno Mars, and Jessie J, is one of those top producers. Unlike other big names, Kelly crossed paths with the two at Berklee. He said: “We all went to Berklee College of Music but graduated in different years. I actually found out about them because they covered ‘Grenade,’ and somebody sent it to me on Twitter. Then later L.A. Reid told me he wanted me to meet them. And I walked into the office and couldn’t believe it was the same kids from Berklee and YouTube.”

While skeptics wonder if a YouTube semi-novelty act translates into a successful album, Kelly thinks Karmin does. Recording eight songs with the group in nine days, Kelly wrote “Brokenhearted,” their second single from Hello, after “Crash Your Party.” Hello is expected to come out in April, but you can listen to “Brokenhearted” here: