CALIFORNIA, USA —
Chris Mann’s name may or may not sound familiar. You can be an accomplished singer without being a household name.
In 2012, during Season Two of the “The Voice”, Mann made it to the finals, finishing fourth. St. Louisans may have seen him perform at the Fox Theater.
“I came through St Louis as the Phantom in 'The Phantom of the Opera,' a national tour that played The Fox,” Mann said.
Then came the COVID-19 pandemic, temporarily shutting down Mann’s music career.
“All of my concerts have been canceled indefinitely,” Mann said. “So, I was unemployed and I put my son down for a nap and I went into the bathroom and recorded a one-take pass of this very ridiculous stupid song.”
That ridiculous song was “My Corona”, a comedic take on the 1979 hit song “My Sharona” by The Knack.
“I did 'My Corona,' posted it online thinking nothing of it,” said Mann. “And it had 20 million views within four days.”
With time on Mann’s hands, the parodies kept coming -- shot and edited by Mann at his California home.
“I got a ring light. I got a tripod. I got my phone,” said Mann. “I tape lyrics on my television and cut my stuff, so I edit myself on my laptop.”
His song “Daycare Closed” is his comedic take on “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X and featured his 2-year-old son, Hugo.
“He's the star of one that's very popular right now called 'Daycare Closed,' which is a play on 'Old Town Road,' the biggest song of the year last year,” said Mann.
Mann was concerned that some people might not get the joke, that he wasn’t making fun of the hardships caused by the pandemic.
“I really don't want people to think that I am not taking this seriously,” said Mann. “I'm just channeling it in a different way, I guess.”
Mann’s parodies can be found on his YouTube Channel. He said he even got noticed by the Backstreet Boys.
Collaboration? He’s not saying yet.
“If you had told me five weeks ago that the majority of the world would be referring to me as a comedian and to have no idea that I sing, I wouldn't have believed you,” he said.