Nick Pitera
Nick Pitera has one of the hottest YouTube videos around! With hundreds of thousands of hits and new comments every day, Pitera's rendition of Aladdin's "Whole New World" has everyone talking (so do his other videos). You have to hear it to believe it. We talked with Nick about his talent, American Idol, and why he hasn't put up new videos (yet!).
The Star Scoop:
Tell us about why you decided to put yourself on YouTube.
Nick Pitera:
Well, actually, the first video I put up was for an online contest. I was entering just for fun. I wasn't taking it too seriously. It was a contest where you had to upload a video onto YouTube, and then submit that YouTube video into the contest. I just started sending it around to people on FaceBook, and then they all ended up sending it to everyone they knew, and then it got around a little bit. It got on a couple news sites, and during the peak of that, I put up the "Whole New World" video. That video got spread around like crazy as well. Stuff kind of escalated. I didn't put things up with the expectation of being a "YouTube Musician," or anything.Once the videos started getting a lot of views, I figured, why not keep doing it. It would be kind of a fun musical outlet.
The Star Scoop:
You weren't expecting anything from this, so were you surprised by how much people have viewed and commented and responded to your videos?
Pitera:
I was extremely surprised. It sort of all came in one big wave. It was kind of crazy, but I had a good time with it. I'm very grateful for all the views.
The Star Scoop:
You have a really unique talent, or people wouldn't be watching. When did you discover that you could do "two voices?"
Pitera:
I've always sung in the higher range. I didn't just wake up one day and decide I wanted to sing in the upper register. It was just something I was always able to do. As I got older, I gained lower notes, but didn't lose the high notes, somehow. I figured, Hey, if I have them, I'll keep using them...keep up with it.
The Star Scoop:
You're just finishing up with school. What did you study, and do you foresee music as part of your life in the future?
Pitera:
Yeah. I just graduated actually. I have a BFA in Computer Animation. I'm starting work at Pixar in July and am very excited. Music is something I definitely would want to pursue, especially after YouTube has opened up some doors, and given me some exposure. I'm taking it slow. I've gotta figure out, what I want to do musically. It's something I've definitely have always wanted to do, but I'm just kind of getting my bearings here, figuring out what I want to do.
The Star Scoop:
Do you think in the future you'll post more videos?
Pitera:
I'm definitely going to continue uploading. I haven't posted much recently just because I was finishing up school, and stuff got kind of hectic. But now that I'm home for a little while I fully plan on getting on top of uploading frequently. Even if I'm not going to go into music professionally any time soon, YouTube has been a really fun outlet. I want to make sure music is always part of my life. If anything, I'll be using YouTube as my way to do that. The Internet is a very powerful thing. It's nice to have an audience. It gives me a reason to practice.
The Star Scoop:
With an audience, people comment. Do you read your comments? Do you even have time?
Pitera:
I read everything. People have also been sending a lot of messages, which I really appreciate. I unfortunately have done a really bad job of responding, just because it's been really hard to keep up with them all, but I try to make a point to read everything, be it a message or a comment.
The Star Scoop:
A lot of people have suggested other songs for you to sing. Do you take those into account?
Pitera:
Oh, definitely. I do kind of keep a mental tab of what people ask for. Funny enough, a lot of times, I'll be practicing a song, or I'll be in the process of making the video, and see that people have been requesting that song. It's kind of funny that people are on the same wavelength as far as deciding what they think I should be singing.
The Star Scoop:
A couple of your videos are Disney songs, and you've got some more current songs. Do you think you'll do any of the other classic Disney duets?
Pitera:
I think that I will. I took a break from the Disney songs, just because I didn't want to get myself too pigeon holed. I kind of steered away from those for a little bit. I do plan on going back and doing other Disney tunes. That is something that people have asked for, and that's what got popular in the beginning.
The Star Scoop:
There are a lot of comments, great things and mean things. But what do your family and friends think? What has been their response to you getting so popular on YouTube?
Pitera:
They're having a good time with it, too. I think they're enjoying the wave just as much as I am. It's been exciting for everybody. It's been fun. They've actually been the ones that have been most supportive of spreading my videos around. Without my friends at school, the first video wouldn't have been passed around so much. And I had my brother rally his entire high school to spread that stuff around and everything. It's been really cool.
The Star Scoop:
One of the most common questions in the comments is, Why don't you try out for American Idol?
Pitera:
[Laughs] In the past, especially in high school, I really wanted to. It unfortunately always conflicted with the school year, be it college or high school. It would have been a commitment where I would have had to take an entire year off school. I wasn't really sure about that, granted I even got anywhere in it. I decided to get school completely out of the way before I decided to make any decisions. I'm not sure how many more seasons they're going to do, but I haven't ruled it out. I wanted to wait until school was under my belt first to make sure I had some security in life.
The Star Scoop:
What would you say to kids who are reading this about the importance of school?
Pitera:
I think it's a very important and smart decision. It seems with every passing year it gets harder and harder to get a job without a college degree. I'm a firm believer in going after your dreams, but even with an entertainment career, there are college degrees. You're still young when you get out of college, it's not like your time is up.
The Star Scoop:
You put up a duet with yourself, doing Mariah Carey and Boys II Men. But, if you could do a duet with any singer, who would it be, and why?
Pitera:
I would actually love to sing with Mariah Carey. That would be ridiculous. I have the utmost respect for her and her vocal abilities, so I think that would be my number one choice.
The Star Scoop:
As far as your future goes, you're starting work, and music will be part of your life. Looking 10 years down the road, where would you like to be?
Pitera:
I don't know. I kind of like that I don't know. This year has been kind of a whirlwind. I had already expected not to be doing anything with music, and then YouTube popped up. It sort of showed me that you never really know what's gonna happen. So, I hope I'm just happy in 10 years.
The Star Scoop:
Of course, the one thing that is important with YouTube is the viewers, the fans, the people who watch and spread it around. What do you want to say to all of your viewers who have watched and commented, your fans?
Pitera:
Well, all I can say is thank you so much. It means the world to me that people are even considering watching. Even if they're just there to laugh at it, or they hate it, I mean, thanks for taking the time. I do appreciate it. I wasn't expecting an audience, and it's been amazing that people have watched, and that people have subscribed. All I can say is thanks. I hope people keep watching, and I'm going to keep doing it.