Tim and Fred Williams are rapidly becoming cyber celebrities with their YouTube series “First Time Hearing: Twins the New Trend” in which we watch the Indiana-based brothers listen and react to music other than rap or gospel for the first time in their lives.
The Williams Twins First Time Hearing
In the videos the 22-year-old twins from Gary, Indiana broaden their music repertoire with rock, metal, pop folk and country classics from the likes of Janis Joplin, Elvis, Sinatra, Dolly Parton, Neil Young, The Carpenters, Back Sabbath, Bruce Springsteen, The Pixies – even Luciano Pavrotti.
FIRST TIME HEARING: The Carpenters
Tim and Fred Williams, who grew up listening to rappers and church music, give honest, heartfelt and funny reviews about songs they admittedly never heard before. Tim came up with the idea while his brother was away at Indiana State and recorded the first month’s of videos by himself. Now the two record themselves spinning decades-old hits from Tim’s bedroom every day.
FIRST TIME HEARING: Luciano Pavrotti
“There’s more than just rap out there,” Fred told PEOPLE. “There’s so much more than I ever thought.”
The duo now have over 155,000 YouTube subscribers who tune in to watch them listen and react to songs with which many of us older folks are already familiar.
Their most-watched video is that of the two of them listening to Dolly Parton’s classic Jolene with 1.7 million views:
“My grandfather always used to say to me, ‘Listen to Frank Sinatra,'” says Tim. “You’ve got to listen to it before you judge.”
FIRST TIME HEARING: Frank Sinatra
Tim and Fred didn’t have it easy growing up. Their mother, now sober and working at Indiana’s Edgewater Health to help people dealing with substance abuse, was once incarcerated and addicted to drugs.
Now the twins sometimes work with their mom who says “From my own experiences, I’ve taught Tim and Fred how important it is to have a voice,” she adds. “I want them to do something in life that they love, and that’s music.”
Check out all their videos here
Thanks to The Williams Twins and PEOPLE for the information, videos and images.