Every so often, a band comes along that reminds us what music with real instruments, not a mixing board, actually sounds like. One of those bands is the Croatian duo 2Cellos.

It’s made up by, you guessed it, two Cello players who know their way around a bow and giant violin. They showed an appreciation for classic pop music on their YouTube channel, which is where their cover of “Smooth Criminal” by Michael Jackson went viral.

People couldn’t get enough of the acoustic version of the MJ song, especially since it distanced the song from the original artist. As we’ve learned more about Michael’s life, it’s been harder to listen to his music. But the 2Cellos cover made it exciting again!

From YouTube to Record Deal

Other highly-viewed videos on their channel included their covers of “Ise Somebody,” “Hurt,” and “Where the Street Have No Name.” Their musical range, which covered the songs above from intensely different genres, made the public fall even more in love with them.

So much so, in fact, that they signed a deal with Sony Masterworks in 2010. Their self-titled debut album had mostly cover tracks on it, as the two have not yet delved into writing their own music (though we’re sure they’re capable).

In2ition

Pronounced intuition, the duo’s second album was full of just as many reimagined classic hits as the first. They took on AC/DC in that album as well as a song by Hauser, a classical musician. One thing fans love about 2Cellos is that it feels like you’re hearing a whole orchestra play, though they’re just two people. In a world where not many people buy tickets to see orchestra-type music anymore, 2Cellos keeps string instruments relevant.