YouTube‘s community of cover artists are making music alongside some of the music industry’s biggest stars. Best. Cover. Ever., a competition series produced by Ryan Seacrest Productions and Endemol Shine North America, has premiered.
Each episode of Best. Cover. Ever. features a famous musician as its guest star. The top 40 chart-toppers solicited cover versions of their songs from their fans and then each chose two of those performers to invite to a showdown at YouTube Space LA. There, alongside series host Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, the competing artists go up against one another as they vie for the chance to perform with the musician they covered.
The first episode of Best. Cover. Ever. features Demi Lovato. Installments featuring Katy Perry and Jason Derulo are also available. Future additions to the series will give Charlie Puth, Keith Urban, Backstreet Boys, Flo Rida, Nicky Jam, Bebe Rexha, and DNCE a chance to judge covers of their tracks.
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“It’s an interesting way of bringing new talent, not only to meet their idols but also to put the spotlight on them so they can help further their career,” Ludacris told Billboard. “You have the competition aspect, the music aspect, the finding a star aspect, and the people meeting their idol aspect.”
The Best. Cover. Ever. YouTube channel has already been populated with more than 30 videos. The show is funded by YouTube, which backed it as part of an investment in ad-supported original content. Other programs included in that initiative include Rhett and Link’s Good Mythical Morning and Ellen Degeneres’ Ellen Show Me More.