Schneider was born in Baltimore, Maryland to Laurie S. Auth, a visual artist, and Michael Schneider, a mathematician. 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. He is of German and Austrian descent on his father's side but does not speak German. Schneider has an older sister who is a classical pianist. He graduated as class Valedictorian from Wissahickon, and magna cum laude from Yale University in 2010 with a degree in mathematics and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.
Schneider played for Yale's chess team. He currently holds a USCF Elo rating of 2235 and can play multiple games of chess blindfolded simultaneously. He played against Magnus Carlsen at the CES 2014 HRM Chess Tournament, hosted by Nordic Semiconductor in Las Vegas. He is also a self-taught musician.
According to Business Insider and SocialBlade, he is believed to make over a six-figure income from YouTube.
Schneider began collaborating with Tsui while both were in high school and continued while they were at Yale; Schneider matriculated a year before. He produced videos of Tsui singing covers and medleys, and has since made an online musical series (College Musical) and produced original songs.
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. 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. 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. 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.
The popularity of their videos has encouraged the duo to branch out to other projects. Shooting for an independent film, College Musical: The Movie, based upon their online musical series, has been completed in the summer of 2010 and the film was released September 3, 2014. A series of behind-the-scenes videos for the movie, filmed and narrated by Nick Uhas, has been released on YouTube. Since September 2010, Schneider and Tsui have also begun to release videos of original songs and in May 2013, Sam Tsui's debut original album, "Make It Up", was released.
Schneider has also made music videos in collaboration with other artists. Popular videos include a Miley Cyrus medley sung by Christina Grimmie, a duet between Tsui and Grimmie singing Just a Dream (the most viewed video on 'KurtHugoSchneider', with over a hundred and twenty million views), and a Starcraft-themed parody video, with Husky, of Baby. 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 and Matisse on a Medley of Rihanna songs. He has also collaborated with Max Schneider on a number of occasions: for example he directed a Bruno Mars medley for Max Schneider & Victoria Justice, a Maroon 5 Medley and a Christmas Medley. Schneider also co-wrote 'Standing In China' with Max 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.
He has also performed a cover of Beauty and the Beat by Justin Bieber with Alex Goot and Chrissy Costanza from Against the Current as well as a cover of Counting Stars by OneRepublic and a cover of Heart Attack by Demi Lovato.
In 2013, Schneider and Coca-Cola created music videos featuring creative covers of two 2013 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.
Falling In Love
Kurt Hugo Schneider Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wasn't there to look for love
But through the smoke clouds and 2 AM crowds
There you were
Its like your hand were made for mine
In your arms, our heart beat in time
In the night air in London Squares are a blur
So baby won't you hold me, underneath
These old oak trees
It's getting cold
And I need your body
I need your body to hold
Remember what you told me
That winter night
Down on your old street
You pulled me close
Said, I need your body
I need your body to hold
'Cause maybe I'm falling in love with you
Can't stop thinking of us two
Kiss me so I know it's true
I'm falling in love with you
Don't know what you did to me
Look around and you're all I see
Yeah I can see the world
And I can see the world in your eyes
So baby won't you hold me, underneath
These old oak trees
It's getting cold
And I need your body
I need your body to hold
Remember what you told me
That winter night
Down on your old street
You pulled me close
Said, I need your body
Together we'll never grow old
'Cause maybe I'm falling in love with you
Can't stop thinking of us two
Kiss me so I know it's true
I'm falling in love with you
So baby won't you hold me, underneath
These old oak trees
It's getting cold
And I need your body
I need your body to hold
'Cause maybe I'm falling in love with you
Kiss me so I know it's true
I'm falling in love with you
'Cause maybe I'm falling in love with you
With everything you do
Kiss me so I know it's true
I'm falling in love with you
The song ‘Falling in Love’, by Kurt Hugo Schneider, depicts a story of two people who find each other unexpectedly in the midst of a crowded London pub during last call. The singer weaves a vivid and heartfelt tale, describing how the two of them come together in the London Square, where the hustle and bustle of the surrounding city disappear. The lyrics suggest that this is a chance, perhaps even unplanned meeting, but one that quickly leads to undeniable attraction, even to the point of the person falling in love with the other.
The singer describes his partner’s touch in a way that conveys an immediate and powerful connection, as if their hands were made for each other. Throughout the song, the singer expresses their need for each other's warmth and touch, whether under the warm glow of the pub’s old oak trees or on a cold winter night. The song's lyrics end with the singer’s realization that they may be falling in love with their partner and the desire for a tangible sign to confirm their feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
Last call at the local pub
The singer is setting the scene of the story as the last call at the local pub.
I wasn't there to look for love
The singer wasn't at the pub to search for a romantic relationship.
But through the smoke clouds and 2 AM crowds / There you were
Despite the obstacles of smoke and a late hour, the singer found someone special.
Its like your hand were made for mine
The artist feels a strong connection with their partner, like their hands were meant to be together.
In your arms, our heart beat in time
The artist and their partner feel a strong bond, which is reflected in their synced heartbeats.
In the night air in London Squares are a blur
The details of their surroundings fade away as the singer focuses on the experience of falling in love.
So baby won't you hold me, underneath / These old oak trees / It's getting cold / And I need your body / I need your body to hold
The singer is seeking physical comfort from their partner beneath the old oak trees in the cold weather.
Remember what you told me / That winter night / Down on your old street / You pulled me close / Said, I need your body / I need your body to hold
The artist recalls a past conversation with their partner, where they expressed a desire for physical intimacy.
'Cause maybe I'm falling in love with you / Can't stop thinking of us two / Kiss me so I know it's true / I'm falling in love with you
The artist realizes that they might be falling in love with their partner and seeks reassurance through physical affection.
Don't know what you did to me / Look around and you're all I see / Yeah I can see the world / And I can see the world in your eyes
The artist is surprised at how deeply their partner has impacted them and how their partner now represents the world to them.
Together we'll never grow old
The singer sees a future with their partner and imagines growing old together.
With everything you do
The artist admires their partner and everything they do.
Lyrics © Songtrust Ave
Written by: Kurt Hugo Schneider
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind