Fuse Top 40 Video Battle: Who's the Heartbreak Queen, Karmin or Adele?
After last week's upset over Nicki Minaj, it'd be foolish to count those scrappy underdogs Karmin out of Fuse's Top 40 for 2012 contest. But the YouTube superstars have a daunting opponent this week: Adele. Even worse is that their single "Brokenhearted" deals in a subject that Adele has mastered, nowhere more so than in the video for "Set Fire to the Rain." But long odds aside: Who does heartbreak better?
At first glance, the answer is obviously Adele. As of last month, her Grammy-hoarding album 21 had sold 24 million copies worldwide. The subject of 21's biggest hits? You guessed it: heartbreak. And let's be real, is there a better recent break-up song than "Rolling in the Deep?" That's not even factoring Adele's live performance in the video for "Set Fire to the Rain," which is just awesome.
How can Karmin's "Brokenhearted" video compete? First of all, it's a much more fun video. Sure, "fun" and "heartbreak" usually don't go together, but there's a real optimism here that Adele's lacks. And the clip features ping pong; if there's one voting demographic that can't be ignored, it's table tennis aficionados.
The one thing that might matter most – yes, more than even ping pong – is Karmin frontwoman Amy Heidemann's rapping. Part of what's made Karmin such a sensation is Heidemann's talented mimicry of her favorite rappers, a skill that, based on the evidence, Adele clearly lacks.
Even with that factored in, Adele is still the favorite to win here. It's currently reflected in polls reflect, too. But "Set Fire to the Rain" hasn't won just yet; it's only up by 42 percentage points, which means, technically, she can still lose.
Karmin fans, you know what to do: start voting!
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