By: Kristina Mata and Aashi Chhabra
Malcom Kelley and Tony Oller came out in the year of 2013 with their debut single, “Thank You” in January 2013, which was followed by their single “Classic” in June 2013. The two met on the set of Gigantic on Nickelodeon in 2010 and formed a lasting bond. They later formed a duo and named themselves MKTO, which is a combination of their initials MK and TO. They add, “It also stands for what our album kind of is: Misfit Kids and Total Outcasts – just like the kids we were in high school.”
Their single “Thank you” quickly became one of the top hits in Australia and New Zealand and is gaining popularity in the United States. It is a tongue-in-cheek approach to the world’s issues and expresses sarcastic gratitude to the previous generation. Kelley describes it as “[about] the world we are living in. By that, I mean, the situations us young folks are in due to some of our elders’ decisions, we have the power to take things into our own hands nowadays. Following your dreams, working at it, and education are key.”
Oller remarks, “We’re just really trying to do an anthem for our generation, what us kids go through in the economic times right now is not easy.” He adds, “We wanted to have a song that described our views of our generation, and to describe how we feel about being in the circumstances we are in, thanks to previous generations making mistakes.”
The two have taken America by storm with their single “Classic” that, although wasn’t their debut single, has been on hit lists on radios and television music stations and was #2 on the MTV charts all over the country in September 2014. The duo is currently traveling with Demi Lovato’s World Tour and has been a huge success.
Their most recent single “American Dream,” that has remained on MTV for a few weeks now, was released on April 28, 2014, and has over 2 million views: a good number for new and upcoming artists. The music video follows several young people as they follow their dreams. Even though the beat of this song is not as upbeat as their others, there is something about it that provokes thought. It is inspiring. Their message is to follow your dreams even if the odds are against you. Here’s the remarkable thing: the “odds” could be your gender or race and this is shown in the video. A variety of genders and races are represented. Diversity is important. MKTO extends their message to all young people, a truly noble goal.
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