Pick of the Week--Artist You Should Know About: MKTO

Spring Break is coming to a close which means, along with all of the other broke, tired college students, I'm about to enter into the last leg of the school year. There's a lot to look forward to in the lieu of music and entertainment as lots of artists have set summer tour dates and releases and it's finally warm enough for all of those sweaty festivals. If you're looking for a new artist to check out before break is over then you might want to take a look at MKTO…

MKTO is a pop/rap duo made up of Tony Oller and Malcolm D. Kelley. A little background information on these guys--both Tony and Malcolm began their careers as actors acting in various types of film and television. Malcolm is well-known for playing Walt Lloyd on Lost and Finn Katins on Gigantic. He has also appeared alongside big-name actors in shows like Law & Order: SVU and My Name Is Earl. 

MKTO: Malcolm D. Kelley (left) &
Tony Oller (right)

Tony also starred in Gigantic as Walt Moore alongside Malcolm. He is remembered also for playing Danny on the Disney Channel short show, As the Bell Rings, where he sang a number of original songs with "old school Demi Lovato." Oller has most recently acted in Beneath the Darkness with Dennis Quaid as well as in the 2013 thriller The Purge.

MKTO was formed back in 2012 when Tony and Malcolm decided to become a pop duo after Gigantic aired its final episode in April of 2011. MKTO signed with Columbia Records and their first single, "Thank You," was released in January of 2013. The MKTO fanbase has quickly grown worldwide since the release of their first single with "Thank You" landing at #2 on the Australian charts and #7 in New Zealand. Their debut self-titled album was released in both countries in January of 2014 and was a hit among fans reaching #1 in Australia. The album is set to release in the US and Canada on the first of April.

The album features the duo's hit singles "Thank You," "Classic," and "God Only Knows" as well as 8 other tracks including duets with Ne-Yo and Jessica Ashley. This album is highly anticipated among the North American MKTO fans so you will not want to miss out when the album drops in April.

And if you can't get enough of MKTO, Malcolm and Tony keep their Vevo channel updated with interviews, music videos, and acoustic videos. These incredibly talented guys never fail to showcase their unique style and insane vocals. I saw them last summer at the WZPL Birthday  Bash and I was amazed at how naturally talented they were. They keep the crowd on their feet and are great at maintaining an insane hype throughout their entire set. Their stage presence alone is enough to keep the crowd entertained but they are genuinely hilarious guys and it's easy to tell they have just as much fun performing as their fans do listening to them.

Trust me, you do NOT want to miss out on what's next for MKTO. They're currently wrapping up touring on Emblem3's Band Life Tour. The tour ends on March 15th in LA but the MKTO guys will be heading out on their headlining Australian tour beginning April 23rd in Broadbeach. If you have a chance, head out and catch them on one of their tour dates because it is guaranteed to be a great time.

Tony and Malcolm are set to become the next big thing with their growing fanbase and fresh style. They've reached over 100K followers on Twitter and have been a hit, gaining new fans left and right as they tour the country. Keep MKTO on your radar for fresh, upcoming summer tunes. I promise you'll be hooked in no time. Be on the lookout for more MKTO this year because they are already making a huge impact on the 2014 music scene.

MKTO's latest video "God Only Knows":

"Thank You" acoustic:

Check out MKTO!
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ARTIST YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT: MKTO~AS TOLD BY MADS
Thanks for reading!