Audio By Carbonatix
As the people who watched the 2013 MTV VMA’s this year know (and that was a lot of people), pop star Katy Perry closed the award show with a debut performance of her newest single, “Roar.” The single, which was officially released on August 12, has already topped the charts in the US and the UK. But this is the future and there are other ways to know your hit has made it. Namely, that it has been covered by oh-so-many established and aspiring singer-songwriters on YouTube. I came across Richardon-based performer Sarah Seller’s (who appeared on season 10 of American Idol) adorable rendition of the uplifting pop track on Facebook, and immediately found myself plummeting into a rabbit-hole of Katy Perrydom (once you watch one YouTube cover of a pop song, you’re just going to watch 15 more. It’s science).
The medium of amateurs and semi-amateurs offering their take on chart-toppers is a fascinating one. Sure, the quality often isn’t great, but it’s a kind of pop democracy we couldn’t have imagined 15 years ago, especially since this kind of thing has the potential to make you genuinely famous, at least in a limited way. So these are some of the most memorable video clips I came across while in the magical, and at times horrific land of “Roar” covers. Now, if only I could get this damn song out of my head.
Sarah Sellers
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Castro
Jason has a pretty fantastic intently focused singer face.
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Liaca (ukulele cover)
The actual music starts at 1:10. This girl is only 14, which is impressive.
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Jona Selle
So what if guy has a supper-thick accent, he’s adorable. Also, he’s really good at playing the guitar and walking at the same time.
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Liz Loughrey
This soulful rendition of “Roar” is actually pretty great.
Rhett Price (violin cover)
Of course there are already instrumental versions. This one uses a violin surprisingly well.
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Paulina
We’re really just partial to the white fluffy dog hanging out in the background.
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Megan Nicolee
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Alex G
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Chantry
This dude is apparently quite the instrumentalist.
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BONUS: This dude has a cool shirt, so he gets to be included.
Alex Vass
