Years ago, Nick Pitera entered a whole new world when videos of him singing went viral. While the sudden success has worn off, as it always does, his golden pipes haven’t stopped singing.
When he was 21, Pitera uploaded a two minute video and shocked viewers around the world. This one-off contest entry sparked the internet’s interest as his talent is matched by few others. This kid from Minnesota managed to sing the classic Disney duet “A Whole New World” with himself. Taking on the role of both prince and princess, Pitera’s incredible range enabled him to recreate the duet and gained him millions of views: The video currently sits at over 35 million.
Around that same time, he put his voice to the test by covering singers like Whitney Houston, Alicia Keys and Mariah Carey. Those videos simply featured Nick Pitera in front of a mic, if even, and broke well past a million views each. Some might doubt him and his voice, but he’s proven it is all talent and training when he performs live. Nine years ago, he gained enough traction online he even ended up on “Ellen.”
As time went on and as he kept getting views, he kept uploading his incredible voice to the internet. Eventually, he started singing mash-ups, like mixing “Already Gone” and “Halo” or “Dancing On My Own” and “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” to create a new experience along with recreating hit pop songs, using his range to show off new ways of listening to them. He released two EPs of those covers and a couple of music videos, as well as several Christmas songs.
While some of those videos didn’t quite reach as high as his voice, some still managed to break a million views, like “Somebody Like You” and “I See the Light.” Nick Pitera soared to new heights as he soon discovered a new format. His “One Man Disney Movie” features Pitera taking on every role in a Disney film from the heroine to the hero, all the way to the sidekicks and villains.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B01UgKDDMuy/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
The layout of the video has six squares with a character in each that react and respond to those singing. But all the characters are Nick Pitera. Singing for eight minutes straight, Pitera ups the game by adding in props and effects to the video to go with his impressive voice.
From “Reflections” to “Be Our Guest” and “Be Prepared,” the seamless flow of the different Disney songs are brought to life by his spectacular voice and commitment to the roles he’s taking on. True to the title, the familiar Disney songs come together to create what’s essentially a new Disney movie. Fans agree as the video’s been watched over 20 million times.
The square sections opened a whole new avenue for Pitera’s videos. His “One Man” videos became his most popular uploads with nearly all of them breaking a million views. His 13-minute “One Man Les Miserables” sees him belting as Fantine and Eponine and going as low and sultry as Javert and Jean Valjean. From “One Man Phantom of the Opera” to “One Man Into the Woods” — complete with costumes — Pitera’s musical recreations gained him enough attention that Disney even reached out to him.
In 2014, Disney took Pitera back to his roots and helped him produce his “One Man Tribute To Aladdin,” which was created in a similar vein to his “One Man Tribute to Disney’s The Lion King.” With epic costumes, this video on Oh My Disney adds great production value onto Pitera’s epic range. Pitera’s voice rings out on Oh My Disney a few other times that see him singing classic Disney songs like “Belle” from “Beauty and the Beast,” and “This Is Halloween.” “Kiss the Girl” showcases his spot-on Eric impression and his abilities with acapella.
Nick Pitera has done several acapella videos because taking all parts of the song weren’t enough — he needed to provide the instrumentals as well. He has done a couple of collaborations like his “Wicked Medley” with Peter Hollens and a mash-up of “Shut Up and Dance” and “Video Killed The Radio Star” with Evynne Hollens, among others.
His covers of songs like “New Rules” and “Million Reasons” shows that his impressive range goes both ways. Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” provides a clear example of how Pitera’s range redefines the song. In many cases, according to the comments on his videos, his versions surpass the originals.
But it’s not just covers. In 2015, Nick Pitera released an EP of original songs called “Stairwells.” The EP features five pop songs, all of which now have videos on his YouTube channel. From mournful and hopeful “Better Days” to upbeat and catchy “Turn My Heart On,” the songs feature Pitera as his own background singers.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrN_SgShWzg/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
With the phrase “vocal bipolar,” “Like A Boy” hits on Pitera’s experiences growing up wanting to use his incredible range in spite of the fact that it made him sound like a girl, while the titular “Stairwells” provides a look into how the musician would rather sing for himself in hidden stairwells than have his name in lights, a comment perhaps on why he kept singing and posting even after the initial boom of views died down. He sings for the love of the music, whether to pay tribute to incredible artists, formative Disney songs or even just to make a new Christmas song.
Disney songs are a clear and comfortable choice for the young singer as Nick Pitera’s day job has him drawing for some of your favorite animations, most recently “Toy Story 4” and “Incredibles 2.” This Pixar employee also wears his heart on his chest with a heart pin appearing in several videos, slowly becoming part of each one.
While he hasn’t been cast in any leading roles, Pitera’s voice appears in the “Triple Dent Gum” jingle from “Inside Out” and he’s a background singer in “Zootopia.” His most recent uploads, “Reflections,” “Your Song” and “Speechless,” still leave my heart racing and me speechless at his incredible talent and range.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0lsU9PDzGW/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
His commitment to music as a hobby brings joy to the 819,000 still listening to his incredible voice. Over the years the, quality of his videos and his voice have only increased, which seems obvious when comparing his two versions of “A Part Of Your World,” done years apart.
Nick Pitera has got the look of a Disney prince, the voice of every Disney character, as well as the heart of one, so legendary media conglomerate should really be giving him a bigger role already. But that’s not what he’s in it for, because while the initial fame has worn off, Pitera is still singing out of the love of sharing his voice.
