| Kurt Hugo Schneider | |||||||||||||||||
| Birth Place: | Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Birth Date: | 7 September 1988 | ||||||||||||||||
| Alma Mater: | Yale University (BA) | ||||||||||||||||
| Occupation: | Director, producer, singer, songwriter, composer | ||||||||||||||||
| Years Active: | 2007–present[1] [2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Spouse: | Patty Ho (m. 2021) | ||||||||||||||||
| Module: |
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| Module2: |
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| Module3: | Chess career
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Kurt Hugo Schneider (born September 7, 1988),[3] sometimes referred to by his initials KHS, is an American video editor, producer, musician, singer and songwriter, whose primary medium is YouTube music videos. He has produced music videos for various YouTube musicians, such as Sam Tsui.[4] [5]
Kurt Hugo Schneider was born in Baltimore to Laurie S. Auth, a visual artist, and Michael Schneider, a mathematician.[6] [7] He grew up in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia, where he lived just a street away from Sam Tsui, whom he met while attending middle school. They both later attended Wissahickon High School.[8] He graduated class valedictorian.[9]
Schneider attended Yale University, where he got his start producing videos when he worked at Yale's Digital Media Center for the Arts.[10] He graduated magna cum laude in 2010 with a degree in mathematics and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.[11]
Schneider began collaborating with Sam Tsui while they were both students at Wissahickon High School.[12]
Schneider and Jake Bruene created the musical web series College Musical fall semester 2008 at Yale. Schneider composed the songs and cast the project from Yale's music community, which included Sam Tsui and Allison Williams. The first episode aired on YouTube in January 2009. They shot an independent film based upon their online musical series, , summer of 2010 and released online it on September 3, 2014.[13] A series of behind-the-scenes videos for the movie, filmed and narrated by Nick Uhas, has been released on YouTube.[14]
He produced videos of Tsui singing covers and medleys.
They garnered wide media attention with a video of a Michael Jackson medley. This video remains the 9th most viewed (more than 34 million) on Schneider's YouTube channel KurtHugoSchneider.[15] This medley is one of several in which Schneider, using video editing, creates the illusion of a one-man a cappella choir, with Tsui covering lead and backing vocals, playing multiple versions of himself.[16] Their medley videos have been described by Time as a combination of Glee and Attack of the Clones. The viral videos led to a few appearances on national television, including The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Ellen DeGeneres Show.[17] [18] [19] [20] On February 3, 2011, Schneider's video of Tsui covering Hold It Against Me, in which Tsui sang and played the piano with Schneider on percussion, was featured on Britney Spears' official website.[21] [22]
The popularity of their videos has encouraged the duo to branch out to other projects. Since September 2010, Schneider and Tsui have also begun to release videos of original songs[23] and in May 2013, Sam Tsui's debut original album, Make It Up, was released.[24]
Schneider has also made music videos in collaboration with other artists. Popular videos include a Miley Cyrus medley sung by Christina Grimmie,[25] a duet between Tsui and Grimmie singing Just a Dream (the most viewed video on 'KurtHugoSchneider', with over two hundred million views),[26] and a Starcraft-themed parody video, with Husky, of "Baby".[27] He has also parodied the infamous "Friday" by Rebecca Black with his variation being known as "Void Rays". He has collaborated with Tiffany Alvord on a Taylor Swift medley[28] and Matisse on a medley of Rihanna songs.[29] Some of his earlier videos include collaborations with now-actress Allison Williams. He has also collaborated with Max Schneider (no relation) on a number of occasions: for example he directed a Bruno Mars medley for Schneider and Victoria Justice, a Maroon 5 medley and a Christmas medley.[30] Schneider also co-wrote 'Standing In China' with Schneider for Cody Simpson's album Paradise. Schneider was also an associate producer for a musical admissions video for Yale, which features a cast consisting of Tsui and fellow Yale students.[31]
He has also performed a cover of "Beauty and the Beat" by Justin Bieber with Alex Goot and Chrissy Costanza from Against the Current[32] as well as a cover of "Counting Stars" by OneRepublic,[33] a cover of "Can't Hold Us" by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis,[34] and a cover of "Heart Attack" by Demi Lovato with Halocene.[35]
In 2013, Schneider and Coca-Cola created music videos featuring creative covers of two 2011 singles: Calvin Harris' "Feel So Close" and Of Monsters and Men's "Little Talks" for a campaign called "The Sounds of AHH". Commercial edits of the singles premiered on the inaugural episode of season 13 of American Idol on January 14, 2014, on FOX.
In the two new versions, recreated by Schneider, he is shown making the track playing only Coca-Cola bottles, glasses and cans. In addition, "Feels So Close" features the vocals of Sam Tsui whereas on the track "Little Talks", he is accompanied musically by beatboxing cellist Kevin Olusola.[36]
Schneider played for Yale's chess team. He currently holds a USCF Elo rating of 2235, holding the title of master,[37] and has held a blindfolded simultaneous exhibition for the comedy series The Try Guys.[38] He has also featured at the CES 2014 in the HRM Chess Tournament, hosted by Nordic Semiconductor in Las Vegas, while playing against Magnus Carlsen.[39]
In February 2020, Schneider created a sudoku-based puzzle for Cracking the Cryptic.[40]
He is of German and Austrian descent on his father's side.[41] Schneider has an older sister who is a classical pianist.[42]
In August 2019 Schneider got engaged to his girlfriend of 5 years, Patty Ho. They were married in September 2021.[43]
See main article: Sam Tsui discography. The following is a list of singles released digitally to iTunes Store and recorded with artists other than Sam Tsui.
| Year | Title | Artists | Original artists | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | "Chopsticks!" | Andrew Johnson | Euphemia Allen | |
| "Iris" | Kurt Hugo Schneider, Jake Bruene | Goo Goo Dolls | ||
| 2011 | "Hold My Hand" | J Rice, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Michael Jackson ft. Akon |
| Year | Title | Credits | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | That's Why I Chose Yale | Associate producer, music producer, sound editor, vocalist, actor | Video (17 min) produced in collaboration with the Yale admissions office |
| Nothing Left Unsaid | Director | Short (13 min) starring Daniel Amerman, Julie Shain and Jay Frisby | |
| 2014 | College Musical: The Movie | Short film |
This list covers only music videos made for solo works, Sam Tsui originals and collaborations with other artists not listed in the discography for Sam Tsui.
| Year | Title | Artists | Original artists or work | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | |||||
| "Can I Have This Dance" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | High School Musical | Cover version | ||
| "Circus" | Jake Bruene, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Britney Spears | |||
| "Run" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Snow Patrol | |||
| "Thinking of You" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Katy Perry | |||
| "Don't Stop Believin'" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Journey | |||
| "You and I Both" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Jason Mraz | |||
| "Michael Jackson Medley" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Michael Jackson | Medley of songs by Michael Jackson | ||
| "Down" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Jay Sean | Cover version | ||
| "Breaking Free" | Sam Tsui, Allison Williams | High School Musical | |||
| "Keep Holding On" | Kurt Hugo Schneider | Avril Lavigne | |||
| "All I Want For Christmas Is You" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Mariah Carey | |||
| "Tik Tok" | Allison Williams, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Kesha | |||
| "Replay" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Iyaz | |||
| "Fireflies" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Owl City | |||
| "Need You Now" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Lady Antebellum | |||
| "Break Your Heart" | Jake Bruene, Frank Sacramone, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Taio Cruz | |||
| "Only Hope" | Tiffany Alvord, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Mandy Moore Switchfoot | |||
| "Nothin' On You", "Hey, Soul Sister" | Sam Tsui, Ahmir, Kurt Hugo Schneider | B.o.B, Bruno Mars, Train | |||
| "Miley Cyrus medley" | Christina Grimmie | Miley Cyrus | Medley of songs by Miley Cyrus | ||
| "Heaven" | Sam Tsui | Bryan Adams | Cover version | ||
| "Unwell" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Matchbox Twenty | |||
| "For Good" | Sam Tsui ft. Nick Pitera | Wicked | Cover version of musical number from Wicked | ||
| "Don't Want An Ending" | Sam Tsui | Original video featuring Amanda Glassman | |||
| "Love The Way You Lie Mashup" | Sam Tsui | Rihanna | Mashup of the songs "Dynamite", "Love The Way You Lie", and "Teenage Dream" | ||
| "If I Die Young" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | The Band Perry | Cover version | ||
| "Just The Way You Are" | Sam Tsui | Bruno Mars | |||
| "DJ Got Us Falling In Love" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Usher ft. Pitbull | |||
| "The Only Exception" | Sam Tsui | Paramore | |||
| "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" | Kurt Hugo Schneider | Death Cab for Cutie | |||
| "Just a Dream" | Sam Tsui, Christina Grimmie | Nelly | |||
| "Dynamite, Firework & Grenade" | Sam Tsui | Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, Taio Cruz | Mashup version of Taio Cruz's "Dynamite", Katy Perry's "Firework" and Bruno Mars' "Grenade" | ||
| "Banelings" | Husky, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Justin Bieber | Parody version of Baby | ||
| "Iris" | Kurt Hugo Schneider | Goo Goo Dolls | Cover version | ||
| 2011 | "Imagine" | Sam Tsui, AHMIR | John Lennon | Cover version; dedicated to the victims of the 2011 Tucson shooting | |
| "Hold My Hand" | J Rice, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Michael Jackson ft. Akon | Cover version | ||
| "Pretty Eyes" | Alex Goot | Original song featuring Julie Shain | |||
| "Hold It Against Me" | Sam Tsui | Britney Spears | Cover version | ||
| "Start Again" | Sam Tsui | Original song featuring Veronica Ballestrini and Nick Uhas | |||
| "Jar of Hearts" | Sam Tsui | Christina Perri | Cover version | ||
| "You've Been on my Mind" | Dave Days | Original song | |||
| "Void Rays" | Husky, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Rebecca Black | Parody version of "Friday" | ||
| "Go Screw Yourself" | Avery | Original song | |||
| "B-e-a-utiful" | Megan Nicole | Original song featuring Michael Jimenez | |||
| "Rolling in the Deep" | Sam Tsui, Tyler Ward | Adele | Cover version | ||
| "Rihanna Medley" | Matisse | Rihanna | Medley of songs by Rihanna | ||
| "Skyscraper" | Olivia Noelle | Demi Lovato | Cover version | ||
| "How to Love" | Sam Tsui | Lil Wayne | |||
| "Katy Perry Medley" | Olivia Noelle | Katy Perry | Medley of songs by Katy Perry | ||
| "Happy Birthday" | Andrew Johnson | Original piano arrangement | |||
| "The Hardest Thing" | Tyler Ward | Original song | |||
| "Moves Like Jagger" | Sam Tsui | Maroon 5 | Cover version | ||
| "Right Here Waiting" | Kurt Hugo Schneider | Richard Marx | |||
| "How To Save A Life" | Alex Goot | The Fray | |||
| 2012 | "Breakeven" | Max Schneider | The Script | ||
| "It Will Rain" | Max Schneider, Olivia Noelle | Bruno Mars | |||
| "Nerdy and I Know It" | Husky, Kurt Hugo Schneider | LMFAO | Parody version of "Sexy and I Know It" | ||
| "Without You" | Max Schneider | David Guetta ft. Usher | Cover version | ||
| "Stronger" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Kelly Clarkson | |||
| "We Are Young" | Sam Tsui | fun | |||
| "Not Over You" | Max Schneider | Gavin DeGraw | |||
| "OneRepublic Medley" | Kurt Hugo Schneider | OneRepublic | Medley of songs by OneRepublic | ||
| "Drops of Jupiter" | Alex Goot, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Train | Cover version | ||
| "Somebody That I Used to Know" | Max Schneider, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Gotye | |||
| "A Thousand Years" | Aimée Proal, Lindsey Stirling, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Christina Perri | |||
| "Safe and Sound" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Taylor Swift | |||
| "Lightning" | Alex Goot | Original video | |||
| "Bruno Mars Medley" | Victoria Justice, Max Schneider, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Bruno Mars | Medley of songs by Bruno Mars | ||
| "Pop Medley 2011" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Various | Medley of pop songs from 2011 | ||
| "Lady Gaga Medley" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Lady Gaga | Medley of songs by Lady Gaga | ||
| "Lighters / Super Bass Mashup" | Aimée Proal, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Bad Meets Evil, Bruno Mars, Nicki Minaj | Mashup of the songs "Lighters" and "Super Bass" | ||
| "Somewhere Only We Know" | Elizabeth Gillies, Max Schneider, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Keane | Cover version | ||
| "Born This Way" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Lady Gaga | |||
| "Rocketeer" | Jake Bruene, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Far East Movement | |||
| "Hold My Hand" | J Rice, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Michael Jackson, Akon | |||
| "King of Anything" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Sara Bareilles | |||
| "Maroon 5 Medley" | Victoria Justice, Max Schneider, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Maroon 5 | Medley of songs by Maroon 5 | ||
| "Call Me Maybe/Payphone Mashup" | James Alan ft. Jessica Jarrell | Carly Rae Jepsen, Maroon 5 | Mashup of the songs "Call Me Maybe" and "Payphone" | ||
| "Titanium" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | David Guetta ft. Sia | Cover version | ||
| "Hey There Delilah" | Kurt Hugo Schneider | Plain White T's | |||
| "So Sick" | Sam Tsui, Max Schneider, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Ne-Yo | |||
| "Run To Me" | Kurt Hugo Schneider | Original song | |||
| "One More Night" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Maroon 5 | Cover version; live recording | ||
| "Skyfall" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Adele | Cover version | ||
| "The A Team" | Kurt Hugo Schneider | Ed Sheeran | |||
| "Diamonds" | Kim Viera, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Rihanna | |||
| "Home" | James Alan, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Phillip Phillips | |||
| "Locked Out of Heaven" | Megan Nicole, Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Bruno Mars (original version) Alex Clare, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Kesha (mashup songs) | Mashup cover | ||
| "Little Things" | Sam Tsui & Kurt Hugo Schneider | One Direction | Cover version | ||
| "Holiday Medley" | Victoria Justice, Max Schneider, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Various | Medley of Christmas songs | ||
| "I Knew You Were Trouble" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Taylor Swift | Cover version | ||
| "2012 Remix" | Various | Mashup of songs recorded in 2012 | |||
| 2013 | "Beauty and a Beat" | Alex Goot, Chrissy Costanza & Kurt Hugo Schneider | Justin Bieber ft. Nicki Minaj | Cover version | |
| "Don't You Worry Child" | Sam Tsui & Kurt Hugo Schneider | Swedish House Mafia ft. John Martin | |||
| "Kiss You" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider, Tyler Ward, Dave Days,Chester See (Not Another Boyband) | One Direction | |||
| "Give Me Love" | Max Schneider | Ed Sheeran | |||
| "Brave" | Action Item | ||||
| "When I Was Your Man" | Max Schneider | Bruno Mars | |||
| "She Wolf (Falling to Pieces)" | Kim Viera, Kurt Hugo Schneider | David Guetta ft. Sia | |||
| "Pink Medley" | Macy Kate, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Pink | Medley of songs by Pink | ||
| "Mirrors" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Justin Timberlake | Cover version | ||
| "Clarity" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Zedd | |||
| "Me Without You" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Sam Tsui | Original song, debut single from Make It Up | ||
| "Heart Attack" | Sam Tsui, Chrissy Costanza of ATC | Demi Lovato | Cover version | ||
| "Make It Up" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Sam Tsui | Original song, second single from Make It Up | ||
| "Just Give Me a Reason" | Sam Tsui, Kylee | P!nk | Cover version | ||
| "Let Her Go" | Tyler Ward, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Passenger | |||
| "Can't Hold Us" | Max Schneider, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Macklemore | |||
| "22" | Alex Goot, Chrissy Costanza, Sam Tsui, King the Kid, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Taylor Swift | |||
| "Shadow" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Sam Tsui | Original song | ||
| "The Other Side" | Max Schneider, Keke Palmer, Jason Derulo, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Jason Derulo | Cover version | ||
| "Come & Get It" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Selena Gomez | |||
| "Cups" | Sam Tsui, Kina Grannis, Alex G, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Anna Kendrick | |||
| "Here's To Summer" | Jessica Jarrel, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Jessica Jarrel | Original song | ||
| "Radioactive" | Macy Kate, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Imagine Dragons | Cover version | ||
| "Demi Lovato medley" | Sara Skinner, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Demi Lovato | Medley of songs by Demi Lovato | ||
| "Blurred Lines" | Max Schneider, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Robin Thicke | Cover version | ||
| "Bring Me The Night" | Sam Tsui, Kina Grannis, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Sam Tsui ft. Kina Grannis | Original song | ||
| "Treasure/Get Lucky Mashup" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Bruno Mars, Daft Punk | Mashups of songs "Get Lucky" and "Treasure" | ||
| "Worth It" | Sam Tsui | Original song | |||
| Wrecking Ball | Sam Tsui, Kylee, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Miley Cyrus | Cover version | ||
| 2014 | "Unconditionally" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Katy Perry | ||
| "Problem" | Max Schneider, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Ariana Grande | |||
| "Story of My Life" | Tyler Ward, Macy Kate, Kurt Hugo Schneider | One Direction | |||
| ″Team″ | Macy Kate, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Lorde | |||
| "Maps" | MAX, Alyson Stoner, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Maroon 5 | |||
| "I H8 That" | Macy Kate | Original song | |||
| "Sweater Weather" | Max Schneider, Alyson Stoner | The Neighbourhood | Cover version | ||
| "Counting Stars" | Chrissy Costanza, Alex Goot, Kurt Hugo Schneider | OneRepublic | |||
| 2015 | "2015 MASHUP" | Various | Every hit song in 4 minutes | ||
| "Same Old Love" | Sam Tsui, Alyson Stoner, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Selena Gomez | Cover version | ||
| "Sorry" | Against The Current, Alex Goot, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Justin Bieber | |||
| "I Really Like You" | MAX, Against The Current | Carly Rae Jepsen | |||
| "Love Yourself" | Sam Tsui, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Justin Bieber | |||
| "All I Want for Christmas Is You" | Chase Holfelder, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Mariah Carey | |||
| "Bad Blood" | Macy Kate & Ben Kheng | Taylor Swift | |||
| "Chaiyya Chaiyya / Don't Stop Mashup" | Kurt Hugo Schneider, Sam Tsui, Shankar Tucker, Vidya Vox | A. R. Rahman, Michael Jackson | Mashup of the songs "Chaiyya Chaiyya" and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" | ||
| 2017 | "Waving Through a Window" | VoicePlay, Kurt Hugo Schneider | Dear Evan Hansen, Ben Platt | Cover version of musical number from Dear Evan Hansen | |
| 2021 | "Drivers License" | Kurt Hugo Schneider, Madilyn Bailey | Olivia Rodrigo | Cover version | |