Cimorelli! (Ten Best Performances So Far)


I have a confession to make: I am so totally in love with Cimorelli. You may be asking? What is that? It’s an all girl band who, right now, are pretty popular on Youtube. They are six sisters of different ages (from age 11 to 21). They’re most known for singing covers on Youtube. Most of their videos have over a million views, with some having as high as 5 or 6 million. They just released an EP called “CimFam” and, right now, they’re working on their first album (they’re signed to Universal…or Island…one of them). They’re most known for their sick (sometimes acapella) harmonies. They’re Catholic and they’re home schooled…but as far as I can tell, they aren’t crazy! And they don’t shove their religion down anyone’s throat. They’re the real deal and for the last year or so, I’ve been obsessed with them.

The first video I saw by them was a cover of Send it On (one of their earlier videos without the sixth sister). I was very impressed with their harmonies. I actually usually don’t care for “Youtube singers”, but something about them drew me in. After catching their then latest cover of Rolling in the Deep afterwards, I was sold (even if that video is one of their more wonkier/weaker efforts). Watching them the last few months, the group has definitely evolved and, y’know, I think there’s a market for them. So I really hope the best for them.

Now, if you aren’t familiar with them (or even if you are), check out the ten covers I like the most:

10. “ABC”

This was one of their earliest videos. Before this video, the group only had five members. But this video introduced their youngest sister, Dani. So I like to consider this the video where they really became a group. Yeah, they’re still a little rusty in the edges. But I think this cover really highlights their harmonies.  And it’s so cute.  It had to be 10.

9. “Who You Are”

Another thing I like about this group is discovering new music through them. I had never heard of Jessie J’s “Who You Are” before they posted this cover. Now I love this song. However, I’ll always like the Cimorelli cover a little more. The instrumentals for this song are just awesome. Amy is like the group’s go-to guitar player. And Christina  and Lisa do a great job switching piano duties. I dunno…I just feel the passion in this one.

8. “Someone Like You”

Oh! And Amy can also play the piano. Along with the piano instrumental, this cover literally blew my mind. Maybe it’s because I really love this song. Maybe I’m on an “Adele kick” after her historic Grammy night. But I think these girls did the song and artist justice. I believe this is their most current video so…go figure!

7. “Million Bucks”

Before their EP came out, they mostly performed covers of songs. But this was really their first big original song (although they’ve been writing their own music since they first began the group). It’s a really catchy first single and it just makes me more excited for their actual real album. Check out an equally awesome acoustic version here.

6. “I Won’t Give Up”

This another one of those songs I had never heard of before Cimorelli. Shame on me considering I love Jason Mraz. But, anyway, beautiful harmonies…but it’s Amy’s part that really gets me (BTW, it’s wrong to pick favorites but, gun to my head, I’d say Amy’s my favorite). It starts at 2:12. Wowza. Also, towards they end, they begin to blend the song with Miley Cyrus’s “When I Look At You” and it sounds really heavenly. So many things worked here.

5. “Skyscraper”

The second after Demi Lovato came back and released “Skyscraper,” Youtube covers sprang up faster than rabbits on pogo sticks (bad metaphor). So it was exhausting going through them. But something about Cimorelli’s cover sets itself up from the rest. What is it? The harmonies? Yes. But even more so…it’s Lisa. Read the top comments of the video, they always talk about how amazing Lisa is at her solo. And, it’s true. She pretty much owns this song. Her solo begins on 2:55 and it’s marvelous. However, watch the whole thing because really, all six of them do a great job.

4. “What Makes You Beautiful”

OK. When I first heard this song on their EP, I didn’t pay much attention to it. I was too busy obsessing over some of the other songs on the album. But after they released this video (which is very similar to One Direction’s), I somehow began to fall in love. It’s a fun, boppy cover and I imagine this is type of the song that will be on their album (hopefully).

3. “Price Tag”

There’s something so laid back about this video. It’s almost as if they were just lying on their couch, watching TV, eating chips when one of them (probably the oldest, Christina) said “hey, let’s just do this”. It just seems so raw and unrehearsed. Obviously, it’s not unrehearsed because, again, their harmonies are kickin’. But it’s nice seeing these girls just be girls. Check out Dani and Lauren rapping the BoB verse. They’re actually good for girls who aren’t teenagers (at least they weren’t when they made this video).

Also, people, for some reason, complain about Amy (girl in Sara Stanley inspired navy blue polka dotted top) because she mostly stands still while her sisters are bopping and dancing around. I, however, think that she’s awesome in a “too cool for school” kind of way. “Hey! I’m doin’ all the singing, how bout you get off your lazy butt and dance.” I call this the “Adele effect” because in most of her music videos, she sits or stands while beautiful choreography is happening around her (Chasing Pavements, Rolling in the Deep). OK…done with this tangent.

2. “Best Thing I Never Had”

I feel like this video signified a shift in this group. Not only were they using the piano more, but there’s just something so mature and skilled about these singers. Even Dani, the youngest, seemed more mature and grown up. This is a beautiful cover. I love this song by Beyonce. I thought it was the best song of last year IMO. And I’m glad these girls covered it. Watch out for Amy starting at 3:10. Wowza. Before this song, Amy didn’t really get the glowing reception that Lisa and Lauren got, but after her performance in this song, more “Amy fans” sprouted up faster than carrots in a Rabbit farm (again bad metaphors!)

One pet peeve I have over Cimorelli is the fact that they censor their songs. In some cases, it’s understandable (they did a cover of Tik Tok and changed some lyrics…OK, whatevs), but in this case, I don’t understand it. They changed “you showed your ass” to “you showed yourself” and “it sucks to be you right now” to “I’d hate to be you right now”. That second one bugs me even more because I didn’t realize “suck” was such a bad one. I mean…the kids watching the video are going to seek out Beyonce’s original version. So it almost seems worthless trying to hide those slightly naughty lyrics. But…if they feel more comfortable with it then I can’t hate.

1. “Dynamite”

As much as I love the new, grown up Cimorelli (so many videos on this list are newer videos), my favorite will always and forever be their performance of Taio Cruz’s “Dynamite”. Everything just worked. The individual solos (Lauren, Christina and Lisa really stand out), the harmonies in the chorus (which Katherine nicely anchors, and Amy and Dani do a good with the alto part), the division of who sings what, the finger snapping. I can’t explain it, but…I just wish I was singing this with them. And…honestly…I think they officially stole this song from Taio Cruz. I can’t listen to any other version of this song without fondly remembering this one.

I think most fans would agree with a lot of these. However, most fans seem to love their cover of “Best Love Song” (it has over 7 million views!) so I would also check that out.

Any Youtube singers you love? Thanks for reading! If you like what you saw, buy their EP on iTunes or Amazon.

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