2Cellos
Tours with Elton John were “greatest ever”
Luka Šulić (left) and Stjepan Hauser form the duo 2Cellos.
© Sony Music / Olaf Heine
2Cellos return with an album and at the same time announce their farewell tour. In the interview, they look back on their careers.
After ten years it’s over: the internet phenomenon and successful duo 2Cellos have announced their farewell tour. The two Croatian cellists Luka Šulić (34) and Stjepan Hauser (35) will return to Germany for two concerts in 2022: the Olympiahalle Munich (May 15) and the Mercedes-Benz Arena Berlin (May 16).
The two became known for their self-made videos of their interpretations of well-known rock and pop classics on YouTube. Her videos have now been viewed more than 1.4 billion times. In 2011 they released their first album, followed by international tours, including with Elton John (74).
“With a lot of pride and satisfaction,” the two musicians now look back on their careers in an interview with the news agency spot on news. “We never focused on success – we just wanted to make music. Fortunately, a lot of people responded!” There were hardly any low points in the ten years – only “waiting at airports and long flights are a challenge”.
Elton John and his crew are “good friends”
The “greatest ever” were the tours with Elton John: “We have traveled the globe with him and his band – several times! He taught us so much about how to perform and how to interact with the audience. Elton, his The band and the crew are like one big family and we still consider them all good friends. “
Many successful musicians, such as pianists and violinists, are very concerned about their health and have their hands insured. Not so 2Cellos: “We keep ourselves fit and healthy by enjoying our lives without worrying too much. We probably won’t start juggling a chainsaw, so no, we don’t have special insurance for our hands . “
During their hiatus, they focused on solo careers
In 2018 the two cellists took a break to concentrate on their own projects. The corona pandemic intervened her comeback as 2Cellos. However, the two were not idle, they were well busy with their solo careers. During the pandemic, Stjepan Hauser shot videos for the tracks on his album “Classic” (2020). At the end of the year he also published his tribute to the late composer Ennio Morricone (1928-2020) with “Hauser plays Morricone”. Hauser is “exhausted” just thinking about the workload. “Going on a world tour with Luka will feel like taking a break in comparison!” Says the cellist.
Luka Šulić, on the other hand, dedicated himself to the “Four Seasons” by Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741), released an album with it in 2019 and also played the program live several times during the pandemic. But his private life was not neglected either: “After touring more than half of our career, it has been important to me in recent years to spend time with my family,” he says.
“We think Billie Eilish is great”
Now 2Cellos are back to say goodbye. On September 17th they will release their album “Dedicated”, which they will “primarily” dedicate to their fans, as Šulić explains. “Who knows what we’d do today without her. We’re so lucky!” Hauser adds: “It could have been called ‘Dedication’ because this album represents our dedication to making great music, delivering outstanding live performances, building a strong relationship with our fans and mastering our craft.”
The long player also features the hit song “bad guy” by Billie Eilish (19). “We think Billie is great, and the way she conveys a sense of intimacy in every song is really something special. It’s amazing how advanced she is at such a young age,” enthuses Šulić about the young singer. “But to be honest, it was the song itself that attracted us,” says Hauser. “It’s almost like Billie and Finneas [O’Connell, Bruder von Billie Eilish, Anm. d. Red.] wrote it for the cello before they turned it into the song it ultimately became! “