Photos SOSA + ART
They met, fell in love, got married, and then became a singing duo.
Carissa and Michael Alvarado, also known as Us The Duo, have made quite the name for themselves. They’re a California-based singing/songwriting couple and following two years of explosive social media fame, the awesome duo have a new album coming out, Just Love.
Their spine-tingling singing chemistry wasn’t the first thing to blossom though. “The romance happened first. Singing and performing was just an added bonus that we didn’t discover until we were married. Once we tied the knot, we realized that we made a good musical pair. We actually consider this a positive thing, because even when the music fades, we’ll still have the most important thing to fall back on.”
Despite hailing from North Carolina, Michael’s passion for music, and for his wife Carissa, was enough for him to pack up and head to the bright lights of LA. “I always knew I was a fish out of water in North Carolina. I had dreams of moving and pursuing my passion, but never found a big enough reason to make the switch. Then I met Carissa and everything began to make sense in my life. Moving to California to marry Carissa was really a no-brainer. It didn’t matter where she lived. I would have moved across the world for her.”
In this day and age overnight fame isn’t a rare occurrence. And apparently Us The Duo were more than prepared for their journey. “Our lives have drastically changed, but in all honestly, we were prepared for this. We’ve both had a strange feeling in our stomachs for many years that we could make music a full time job. When the Vine videos started to get rapid views, we looked at each other and said ‘Oh my goodness…it’s happening.’ And that’s the funny part of passion – sometimes it ignites in the least unexpected way, and Vine was certainly that for us. To see our dream coming to life in the form of 6-second videos was a beautiful accident that we will forever be grateful for.”
Their success is incredible after just a few short years in this crazy industry and it shows from the amazing adventures Michael and Carissa have embarked on already. “All of that led to quite an epic journey, full of twists and turns that we never could have predicted. We signed a major label record deal, debuted on national TV, watched stars sing our song in a major FOX film, toured with Oprah, visited Mrs. Obama at the White House, left the major label, toured arenas around the United States and Europe, and now we’re putting out a new record independently! The best part is: we get to do it all together. We’re thankful for the past, and even more excited for the new album, Just Love, and all that it may bring!”
Apparently they credit their success to four very simple things. “1. Drive / ambition – stay motivated and create constant content 2. Be creative and do something that’s NEVER been done before. 3. Ask close friends and family for their opinions. They will always be supportive and honest with you. 4. Do what makes you happiest. Simple as that!”
The talented couple start touring in Seattle, Washington July 21 and finish in Houston, Texas November 22. They’re travelling the world for their epic tour, but apparently there’s one destination they’re most excited about. “We LOVE Barcelona! We can’t to go back to eat and explore more on our tour!”
Visit www.ustheduo.com/tour to find out where they’re playing.
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photographers SOSA + ART www.sosaandart.com
stylist ADENA ROHATINER @SixKArtists
style assistant Rebecca Most
makeup LEIBI CARIAS @ Celestine using Makeup Forever
hair SARA DENMAN @ Celestine using Living Proof
Production Bello Media Group | Words Michelle Ganney