Karaoke is not just for wannabe singers anymore. Just ask Luke Bryan and Jason Derulo.
The country and pop singers teamed for a karaoke version of Derulo’s hit “Want to Want Me,” and while many in the Twitterverse were scratching their head at the matchup, Bryan showed he had the pipes to take on the pop hit.
The fun that Bryan has doing the duet with Derulo is readily apparent. The country singer is grinning throughout much of the song and at one point breaks into laughter when Derulo breaks out his signature falsetto. “That’s filthy,” Bryan laughs. “I can’t do that.”
Bryan has teamed with the karaoke app Sing !, among using other digital venues, to promote his fifth album, Kill the Lights. He was quite pleased with the end result of his virtual duet with Derulo and said, “I got chill bumps,” after one take.
To say the duet is good would be an understatement. Since the video went live August 10, it has garnered 28 million views and 815,000 shares and counting. The video is part of a digital push that Bryan is using to promote the new album; part of the digital effort includes teaming with Facebook to have created an app that allows Bryan to sign digital autographs for the fans who purchased digital downloads of Kill the Lights.
This was not the first time that Derulo and Bryan have worked together, however; 2014 saw the duo performing a mash-up of Derulo’s “Talk Dirty” and the Florida Georgia Line/Bryan tune “This Is How We Roll.” Derulo has admitted he feels a bond of sorts with Bryan, as both singers started out as songwriters for other artists prior to becoming recording artists in their own right.
Response appears to be largely positive for the virtual duet, though there are some who are still scratching their heads about why Bryan would take on the pop song.
Jason Derulo and Luke Bryan singing Want to Want Me together??? it’s not as weird as you would think.
— randaa rae (@randaa_24) August 10, 2015
Entertainment Weekly writer Madison Vain says, “The result is wildly entertaining, only a little uncomfortable, and not nearly as mismatched as it sounds.” Certainly, there might be some eyebrows raised that Bryan’s warm, mellow voice might blend well with Derulo’s more disco-oriented vibe, but the result is surprisingly good.
Luke Bryan appears to have had a blast making the recording, too, although some might say he was mixing business with pleasure. Bryan’s passion for singing is evident throughout the video, judging from the broad grins and the dancing.
How could I not, this was too much fun. @jasonderulo , you’re a sanging fool. Oh yeahh http://t.co/HVhxcfy1m6
— Luke Bryan (@lukebryan) August 10, 2015
Some in social media have proclaimed it the duet of the year – now, if Bryan and Derulo could pair for real and make an official video of “Want to Want Me,” who knows?