Merton (YouTube)
Encyclopedia
Merton is an American YouTube
musician and personality who first gained press attention in March 2010 after making videos of himself interacting with people he meets on Chatroulette
and Omegle
. In the videos, Merton sits at a piano and improvises songs about either his observations of the people he is meeting or story ideas suggested by them.
Merton's first video garnered more 5 star ratings than any other YouTube video in history, making it the highest rated YouTube video ever. His musical style has been compared to Randy Newman
and Ben Folds
.
Merton lives in Colorado
and he works in a computer-related business. His real name is unknown. He is a self-taught pianist.
There was speculation that "Merton" was in fact Ben Folds
. While the two have similarities in appearance and music style, both have denied being the same person. Folds has in fact performed a homage
to Merton at a concert where he similarly improvised songs while meeting people on Chatroulette. On a later video of Merton's, Ben Folds and Merton appeared together, proving that they are not the same person.
Merton has been recently hired by T-Mobile
to do some public events in the United Kingdom; on November 24, 2010, he played in Gatwick Airport's South Terminal greeting international arriving passengers with his improv piano playing.
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
musician and personality who first gained press attention in March 2010 after making videos of himself interacting with people he meets on Chatroulette
Chatroulette
Chatroulette is a website that pairs strangers from around the world together for webcam-based conversations. Visitors to the website begin an online chat with another visitor who is chosen at random...
and Omegle
Omegle
Omegle is an online chat website that allows users to communicate with strangers without registering. The service randomly pairs users up into one-on-one chat sessions where they chat anonymously using the handles "You" and "Stranger"...
. In the videos, Merton sits at a piano and improvises songs about either his observations of the people he is meeting or story ideas suggested by them.
Merton's first video garnered more 5 star ratings than any other YouTube video in history, making it the highest rated YouTube video ever. His musical style has been compared to Randy Newman
Randy Newman
Randall Stuart "Randy" Newman is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist who is known for his mordant pop songs and for film scores....
and Ben Folds
Ben Folds
Benjamin Scott "Ben" Folds is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and television personality. From 1995-2000, Folds was the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. Since the group disbanded, Folds has performed as a solo artist and has toured all over the world...
.
Merton lives in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
and he works in a computer-related business. His real name is unknown. He is a self-taught pianist.
There was speculation that "Merton" was in fact Ben Folds
Ben Folds
Benjamin Scott "Ben" Folds is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and television personality. From 1995-2000, Folds was the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. Since the group disbanded, Folds has performed as a solo artist and has toured all over the world...
. While the two have similarities in appearance and music style, both have denied being the same person. Folds has in fact performed a homage
Homage
Homage is a show or demonstration of respect or dedication to someone or something, sometimes by simple declaration but often by some more oblique reference, artistic or poetic....
to Merton at a concert where he similarly improvised songs while meeting people on Chatroulette. On a later video of Merton's, Ben Folds and Merton appeared together, proving that they are not the same person.
Merton has been recently hired by T-Mobile
T-Mobile
T-Mobile International AG is a German-based holding company for Deutsche Telekom AG's various mobile communications subsidiaries outside Germany. Based in Bonn, Germany, its subsidiaries operate GSM and UMTS-based cellular networks in Europe, the United States, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
to do some public events in the United Kingdom; on November 24, 2010, he played in Gatwick Airport's South Terminal greeting international arriving passengers with his improv piano playing.