The Piano Guys, a group of five Utah musicians whose YouTube videos have logged more than 100 million views, are expected to sign a recording contract with Sony Masterworks, label home to Yo-Yo Ma, Lang Lang and Wilson Phillips. Helping clinch the deal? Their latest clip — a plucky makeover of One Direction’s hit “What Makes You Beautiful.”
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For the cheery cover, Paul Anderson and cohorts Jon Schmidt, Steven Sharp Nelson, Tel Stewart and Al Van Der Beek each take a corner of a limited edition Yamaha piano that Anderson bought in 2001, even repurposing its wooden body for percussion. It’s the latest in a series of self-shot clips that The Piano Guys, who know each other from Anderson’s St. George piano shop, make for fun.
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Other songs the group has reinterpreted include Adele‘s “Rolling in the Deep,” the Charlie Brown medley and a spoof on Star Wars called “Cello Wars.” Their self-released greatest hits album also features a mash-up called “Michael Meets Mozart,” honoring the King of Pop Michael Jackson along with the composer known simply as Amadeus.
Watch The Piano Guys’ take on One Direction below:
Twitter: @THRMusic
