YouTube is a platform for music, movies, tv shows and amateurs. It is a campaign ground for almost anything. From new movies and songs to new products and political campaigns, YouTube can be used for almost anything. YouTube Channels have come a long way since their commencement. Cover songs are not a recent trend. But artists such as Justin Bieber, Karmin and Austin Mahone all started their covers on YouTube and then labels and record producers recognized their potential and helped them to launch their successful careers. There are thousands of cover song channels on YouTube but only some can be deemed worthy of this list. The coveted first place goes to Scott Bradlee and the Post Modern Jukebox as his covers are by far the best I have seen so far on YouTube. Therefore, here are the Best Cover Song Channels on YouTube:
- Scott Bradlee and the Post Modern Jukebox
His work is simply brilliant and I have chosen it as numero
uno due to his awesome talent. Instead of just producing another karaoke
version like most YouTubers he compiles a very different sort of vintage styles
from jazz and blues to doo wop and blue grass. The one that caught my ear was
their version of Pitbull ft. Kesha’s Timber. Other good covers include:
Ellie Goulding – Burn
Psy – Gentleman
Swedish House Mafia ft. John Martin – Don’t you Worry Child
Jason Derulo ft. 2 Chainz – Talk dirty
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Wanz – Thrift shop
- Pentatonix
As the winners of the season 3 of The Sing Off these guys have
gone mainstream and are now more or less commercially successful. Their beatbox
acapella style is brilliant. The one that caught my ear was their version of Imagine
Dragons’ Radioactive with Lindsey Stirling. Other good stuff by them include:
Gotye ft. Kimbra – Somebody that I used to know
Daft Punk Medley
Lorde – Royals
Little drummer boy
Evolution of Beyonce
- Lindsey Stirling
She may not sing but, she is one of the best violinists I have
seen on YouTube. As an artist she too goes the extra mile to produce a unique
cover. Her version of Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris’ We Found Love is something I
prefer over the original. Her other notable works include:
LMFAO ft. Goon Rock & Lauren Bennett – Party rock anthem
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Wanz – Thrift shop
Phantom of the opera
Lord of the Rings Medley
Evanescence – My immortal
- Our Last Night
These guys bring a hard rock element to their covers which is
something not everyone can do. Their talent is also great and what caught my
ear was their rendition of Katy Perry ft. Juicy J’s Dark Horse, which is quite
brilliant in my opinion. Their other covers include:
Imagine Dragons – Radioactive
Adele – Skyfall
Miley Cyrus – Wrecking ball
Justin Timberlake – Mirrors
Zedd ft. Foxes – Clarity
- Tera Brite
This duo is also very talented and does go into the harder
side of rock in their covers. What caught my ear was their version of Selena
Gomez’s Slow Down. Their other notable works include:
Taylor Swift ft. The Civil Wars – Safe & sound
Usher – Scream
Zedd ft. Hayley Williams – Stay the night
Katy Perry – Roar
Kesha – Die young
- Chester See
One of the first cover artists that I encountered on YouTube
and also one of the most talented out there in giving a different a twist to an
already popular song. He and Tiffany Alvord collaborated to perform Katy
Perry’s the One that Got Away which is undoubtedly better than the original and
also the one that caught my ear. His other good covers include:
Adele – Set fire to the rain
Britney Spears – Hold it against me
Taylor Swift – I knew you were trouble
Great Big World ft. Christina Aguilera – Say something
Miley Cyrus – We can’t stop
- Tiffany Alvord
As one of YouTube’s first home grown celebrities, this
Californian singer and songwriter has a large social presence with over 1.9
million subscribers making her channel among the top 50 of the most subscribed music
channels. She brings originality to her covers, which is refreshing from most
of the karaoke type covers on YouTube. The one that caught my ear was her
version of Gym Class Heroes ft. Adam Levine’s Stereo Hearts. Her other notable
works include:
Taylor Swift – I knew you were trouble
Maroon 5 – She will be loved
Cee Lo Green – Forget you
David Guetta ft. Sia – Titanium
Katy Perry – The one that got away
- Boyce Avenue
They are the most viewed independent band in the world, and as
covers go the lovers of acoustic music will fall for these guys. They however
do not venture far from the originals. The one that caught my ear was their
version of Justin Timberlake’s Mirrors in which they collaborated with Fifth
Harmony. Their other notable works include:
3 Doors Down – Here without you
Bryan Adams – Heaven
Bruno Mars – Just the way you are
David Guetta ft. Sia – Titanium
Christina Perri – Jar of hearts
- Perpetuum Jazzile
This is more of a choir/vocal group from Slovenia and they too
follow the concept of beatbox acapella style but on a larger scale than the
Pentatonix. What caught my ear was their fantastic rendition of Toto’s Africa.
Other notable works include:
Bee Gees Medley
ABBA Medley
Cyndi Lauper – True colours
Michael Jackson – Will you be there
Roberta Flack – Killing me softly with his song
- Christina Grimmie
She was a vocal sensation on the Season 6 of The Voice and
finished in third place. But she was a cover artist even before this and had a
knack for coming out with good versions. The one that caught my ear was her
version of Lil Wayne’s How to Love. Her other notable covers include:
Bruno Mars – Grenade
Jason Mraz – I won’t give up
Nelly – Just a dream
Imagine Dragons – Demons
Adele – Rolling in the deep
- Kurt Hugo Schneider
Well he definitely does not sing but as a music producer of
covers he does a marvelous job. The one that caught my ear was when he
collaborated on a cover Justin Bieber ft. Nicki Minaj’s Beaity and a Beat with
Alex Goot and Chrissy Costanza. His other work includes:
Michael Jackson Medley
Bruno Mars – When I was your man
Rihanna – Diamonds
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – Can’t hold us
Usher ft. Pitbull – DJ got us falling in love
- The Piano Guys
This is a piano-cello duo that does brilliant instrumentals,
which sometimes feature vocals. Their covers are very soothing and the one that
caught my ear was their version of Christina Perri’s A Thousand Years which now
for a fact is being used worldwide at weddings. Their other notable works
include:
OneRepublic – Secrets
Adele – Rolling in the deep
One Direction – What makes you beautiful
David Guetta ft. Sia – Titanium
Swedish House Mafia ft. John Martin – Don’t you worry child
- Fifth Harmony
Formed on the second season of The X Factor, this American
girl group finished third place on the show. After their success during the
show the group signed on to Syco Music. The one that caught my ear was their
version of Ed Sheeran’s Lego House. Their style is also very much similar to
Boyce Avenue. Their other notable works include:
Rihanna ft. Mikki Ekko – Stay
Taylor Swift – Red
Cher Lloyd – Want U back
Lana Del Rey – American
Frank Ocean – Thinkin’ bout you
- Aston
This is a classical pop group of six from Sydney, Australia
consisting of two violinists, a cellist, a guitarist, a pianist and a percussionist.
Like the Piano Guys they too bring a classical instrumental twist to their
covers, which sometimes feature guest vocals. The one that my ear was their
classical cover of Psy’s Gangnam Style. Other notable works include:
Adele – Skyfall
Lady Gaga – Applause
Coldplay – Viva la vida
Rihanna – Only girl (in the world)
The Monster Symphony (A Lady Gaga Medley)
- Alex Boye
This British born Mormon singer of Nigerian descent brings a
heavy African tribal influence to his covers. The one that caught my ear was
his brilliant cover of the main theme “Let It Go” from the animated film
Frozen. His other notable works include:
Lorde – Royals
Pharrell Williams – Happy
The Lumineers – Ho hey
Michael Jackson Tribute
Adele – Set fire to the rain
- Sam Tsui
This American musician most of the time teams up with Kurt
Hugo Schneider and his covers are on the more slower side of things. The one
that caught my ear was his mash up of the theme song of Frozen, Let It Go and
Passenger’s Let Her Go. His other notable works include:
Pitbull/Kesha/OneRepublic – Timber/Counting stars mashup
Adele – Someone like you
Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris – We found love
Whitney Houston – I will always love you
Pink – Try
- Alex Goot
He rose to fame as a YouTube celebrity through his acoustic covers
of famous songs. The one that caught my ear was his version of Owl City &
Carly Rae Jepsen’s Good Time. His other notable covers include:
Taylor Swift – I knew you were trouble
Maroon 5 – Payphone
Rihanna – Diamonds
Katy Perry – ET
Kelly Clarkson – Catch my breath
- Bea Miller
This young singer has a very promising future and she came in
at ninth place in the second season of The X Factor USA. What caught my ear was
her version of Paramore’s The Only Exception. Her other notable works include:
Nirvana – Smells like teen spirit
Maroon 5 – She will be loved
Passenger – Let her go
Foster the People – Pumped up kicks
Katy Perry – Roar
- Tyler Ward
He is extremely talented and has a major following on YouTube.
His covers are more towards acoustic rock. What caught my ear was his rock
cover of LMFAO’s Party Rock Anthem. His other works include:
Maroon 5 ft. Wiz Khalifa – Payphone
B.o.B. ft. Hayley Williams – Airplanes
Coldplay – Fix you
Lady Gaga – Born this way
Kings of Leon – Use somebody
- David Choi
He is a singer, songwriter and video producer on YouTube of a
Korean descent. He is one the most subscribed musicians on YouTube. What caught
my ear was his version of Black Eyed Peas’ I Gotta Feeling. His other notable
works include:
Jason Mraz – I’m yours
Lady Gaga – Poker face
Owl City – Fireflies
Usher – OMG
K-Ci and Jojo – All my life
- Marie Digby
She has a major following on YouTube and was one of the first
cover artists who rose to fame through YouTube. She chooses her songs carefully
and does wonderful acoustic rock covers. What caught my ear was her famous
cover of Rihanna’s Umbrella. Her other notable works include:
Linkin Park – What I’ve done
Nelly Furtado – Say it right
Natalie Imbruglia – Torn
Lady Gaga ft. Beyonce – Telephone
Incubus – Love hurts
- Ali Brustofski
Her vocals are more powerful than she looks and can even give
Rihanna, Katy Perry and Sia a run for their money. She does not change the song
much in her covers but she knows how to own them. What caught my ear was her
rendition of David Guetta ft. Sia’s She Wolf (Falling To Pieces). Her other
good covers include:
David Guetta ft. Sia – Titanium
Rihanna – Diamonds
Ellie Goulding – Burn
Justin Bieber – As long as you love me
Daft Punk – Get lucky
- Eli Lieb
He is a rising star on YouTube and has a good voice to do male
covers of Adele and Lana Del Rey which he does. What caught my ear was his
version of Lana Del Rey’s Young and Beautiful. His other notable works include:
Adele – Skyfall
Miley Cyrus – Wrecking ball
Lana Del Rey – Born to die
Britney Spears – Till the world ends
Imagine Dragons – Radioactive
- Sara Niemietz
She is a singer, songwriter from Los Angeles who has found her
niche in doing covers of old hits rather than the trend of covering the
contemporary mainstream music. What caught my ear was her powerful rendition of
Adele’s Rolling in the Deep. Her other notable covers include:
Lady Antebellum – Need you now
Ben E. King – Stand by me
The Beatles – I will
Nina Simone – Feeling good
Etta James – At last
- Megan Nicole
She is a YouTube sensation herself and brings to the table
good vocals through her energetic pop covers. What caught my ear was her
version of Avril Lavigne’s Here to Never Growing Up. Her other good covers
include:
Katy Perry – Unconditionally
Lorde – Royals
Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX – Fancy
Naughty Boy ft. Sam Smith – La la la
Rihanna ft. Mikky Ekko – Stay
Til the next beat…
At Ease!!!
