Why MKTO Should Be On Your Pop Radar

Mike Wass | February 7, 2014 5:22 pm

It’s time to start paying closer attention to MKTO. The hip-hop/pop duo has conquered the charts in Australia and New Zealand — three top 20 hits and a top 10 album — and their new single “Classic” is starting to make major inroads stateside. The feel-good anthem, which name checks Prince and Michael Jackson, is top 40 on pop radio and shooting up iTunes.

So who are these rising newcomers? In short, former actors (Malcom Kelley played Walt on Lost, while Tony Oller starred opposite Demi Lovato on Disney sitcom As The Bell Rings) who met on the set of show and decided to start a band. Their YouTube covers caught the attention of hitmakers Evan “Kidd” Bogart and Emanuel Kiriakou, which led to a record deal with Columbia.

The band’s extremely enjoyable self-titled debut LP, which I assume will be released in the US later this year, is an upbeat collection of millennial pop with splashes of soul and rap. It features collaborations with Ne-Yo and Jessica Ashley and sounds pretty much custom-made for top 40 radio airplay. See their videos after the jump to ensure you’re on board with MKTO early.

“Classic”

“Thank You”

“God Only Knows”

Are you an MKTO fan? Let us know in the comments.

Get an eyeful of even more pop music coverage, from artist interviews to exclusive performances, on Idolator’s YouTube channel.

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