American husband-and-wife singing act and social media stars Us The Duo have absolutely no problems having their music - and marital life - constantly in the public eye.
"It's fun to invite people into our personal lives," Carissa Rae Alvarado said on ST Sessions of her relationship with husband Michael Alvarado.
ST Sessions is a live music video series that aims to introduce to a wider audience popular local acts and bands, along with some international names that visit our shores.
In this edition, Us The Duo dish advice on love and talk about how despite arguments and disagreements, working with each other is the best job of all.
The Southern Californian pop/ folk pair, who met in 2011 and married the next year, are social media darlings who have built up a massive following through their videos of popular covers as well as original songs. On YouTube, they have more than one million subscribers and their videos have chalked up 71.5 million views.
They are even more popular on short-form video sharing service Vine, where their six-second clips of songs have received 790 million views and 4.9 million followers.
The online buzz led to a major label deal with Republic Records last year, earning them the distinction of being the first Vine stars to achieve the feat. After signing with the label, they released an album, No Matter Where You Are, which peaked at No. 9 on the iTunes Pop Albums Chart.
The title track, which they perform for the ST Sessions, is a song they wrote, composed and sang to each other as their wedding vows:
The pair have played several times in Singapore, where they have a dedicated fan base.
In a past interview, the duo both recall being inundated with doughnuts from their Singapore fans, just because they tweeted that they love the confectionery.
Says Michael: "A lot of Us The Family members came to the show with boxes of doughnuts. Later, back on our little tour bus, a lot more members gathered with more doughnuts."
Carissa adds with a laugh: "I'm pretty sure we ate them all."
They also recall how local fans went out of their way to welcome them at Changi Airport, how they hold a different view from artists who are against fans streaming their music for free online and how their music is evolving:
Till The Morning Comes, which is also from the album, is a song about spending quality time with each other:
Watch and connect more with Us The Duo:
Website: www.ustheduo.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ustheduo/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/ustheduo/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/UsTheDuo
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MichaelAlvaradoMusic
Vine: https://vine.co/UsTheDuo
ST Sessions official backline equipment provider: Ebenex
