2 Cellos

2Cellos was an act that was always designed for live performances, although their fame and success began to rise when their cover of “Smooth Criminal” by Michael Jackson went viral on YouTube. By this point, both Stjepan and Luka were already masterful players, having been classically trained in the large stringed instrument since their respective musical education. At the time of writing, said upload has amassed over thirty-eight million views.

The act’s self-titled album was released in 2011 under Sony Masterworks. This project was full of covers of popular rock songs using mainly the cellos, among some other instruments. However, they never abandon their classical roots and often cite Bach as being equally inspirational to them as the likes of AC/DC. The notoriety caught the attention of legendary singer and pianist Elton John, and they appeared on his 2011 summer tour across thirty cities. 

Many festivals and television appearances followed as they rose to new heights of admiration from fans worldwide. These also included live performances in Arena Zagreb and Arena Pula in 2012 and 2013 respectively. Their cover of AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” remains their most popular cover online, with over 200 million views at the time of writing. The music video features the pair performing to an audience of upper-class onlookers in what seems to be the eighteenth century. The music continually ascends into a euphoric madness as the audience look on with shock as their children are enticed and entertained. It is essential viewing for any classical instrument player!