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Since the early 2010s, Christina Grimmie has moved millions of people with her unbelievably talented vocals in YouTube covers, collaborations with other musical YouTubers, performances on NBC’s The Voice, and in dozens of original songs. Four years ago, on June 10th, 2016, Christina was shot and killed by a psychotic fan during a fan meet and greet. After performing with the band Before You Exit at The Plaza Live concert in Orlando, Florida, the shooter devastatingly cut her beautiful life short.
At only 22, Christina’s musical journey as an upcoming star had only begun. Christina accompanied herself on piano, covering hundreds of popular songs on YouTube. After hitting 1,000,000 YouTube subscribers, she began releasing dozens of original songs. Beginning in 2011, she started toured with huge names in the music world like Selena Gomez and Rachel Platten. In 2014, she secured 3rd place on The Voice competition, working with Maroon 5’s Adam Levine.
Though we lost an angel, Christina’s legacy and voice remain intact through media archives of her musical performances. Four years later, we can honor Christina by reminiscing on her unforgettable impact in the world of music. Here’s a playlist of some of her most powerful songs, though you’ll never be let down by clicking on any link with Christina Grimmie’s face in it.
YouTube Origins
In 2009, during her early years on YouTube, fifteen-year-old Christina Grimmie posted a video of herself singing a cover of a Hannah Montana song under the username zeldaxlove64. Less than a year later, Christina began to skyrocket to YouTube fame after her cover of Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.” went viral. After watching that video of a humble young musician in 2010, I never stopped listening to her surreal voice every Thursday. As an avid fan of video games, Sonic the Hedgehog and Link from The Legend of Zelda were constantly in the background of her YouTube videos.
“I’m a perfectionist, so everything I put out needs to be, like, 100 percent. So when it comes to releasing things on my YouTube channel, I triple-quadruple check it before I post it because this has got to be ready for the number of people who are going to be watching, for sure.”
Christina Grimmie
Christina’s absurd vocal register and seamless transitions between octaves drew the attention of millions of fans. I remember my intense admiration for Christina’s incredible vocals, trendy scene haircut and eyeliner, and using the word ‘yu’ to emulate her cool slang she posted in her video descriptions. Every Thursday, Christina released YouTube cover videos that usually generated up to a million views or more for her self-termed “frands” (fans + friends).
Early YouTube Years: 2009-2011
After her passing, Christina’s family originally chose to archive a lot of her YouTube covers. Later, they slowly put some of her videos back to public status in what was deemed “#GrimmieThursday Archives.” Though only 15 at the start of her YouTube musical career, Christina’s soulful voice captures the passion and love she had for singing at an early age. Despite taking some piano lessons, Christina’s flawless piano skills primarily stemmed from her ability to play by ear.
Selena Gomez’s mother actually discovered Christina Grimmie on YouTube from Christina’s early cover of singing idol Céline Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On.” Later, Gomez’s parents signed on to manage Christina while she toured with Selena Gomez. Included in this list are Christina’s covers of songs by some of her favorite artists such as Christina Aguilera (Christina’s beautiful “Genie in a Bottle” cover is sadly archived), Lady Gaga, and Beyoncé.
- “Fireflies” by Owl City (2009 cover)
- “When I Look at You” by Miley Cyrus (2009 Cover)
- “Halo” by Beyoncé (2010 Cover)
- “Grenade” by Bruno Mars (2010 Cover)
- “Hurt” by Christina Aguilera: (2011 Cover)
- “Edge of Glory” by Lady Gaga 2011 Cover)
Later YouTube Covers: 2012-2016
In order to showcase her progressively evolving skills as a musician, Christina Grimmie often picked songs like singer Sia’s to cover with key changes and a wide octave range. Here, her cover of OneRepublic’s “Counting Stars” proves itself a fan favorite for her stellar vocals and piano mastery.
Additionally, a huge fan of Skrillex, Christina offers fans a chance to witness her versatility in different musical genres in her cover of the dubstep-EDM song “Cinema.” In this list, Christina covers popular songs from the mid-2010s that allow her audience to grasp just how far she musically advanced as a performer year by year.
- “Safe and Sound” by Taylor Swift (2012 Cover)
- “Titanium” by Sia (2012 Cover)
- “Cinema” by Skrillex (2012 Cover)
- “I Won’t give Up” by Jason Mraz (2012 Cover)
- “Stay” by Rhianna (2013 Cover)
- “Elastic Heart” by Sia (2015 Cover)
YouTube Collaborations
YouTube used to be the place for aspiring young musicians to post covers, usually succeeding in garnering attention from millions of fans and celebrities alike. All the YouTube musicians seemed to know one another as more and more collaborations appeared on YouTube between different artists. Still a platform to build one’s reputation, YouTube bolstered Christina Grimmie into unprecedented recognition as a musical artist.
Christina’s collaboration with YouTube singer Sam Tsui and video editor/musician Kurt Hugo Schneider in 2010 hit tens of millions of views collectively on each of their channels. Furthermore, Christina’s collaborative cover with popular YouTube singer Tyler Ward gained national attention. Subsequently, the massive response to the cover allowed the duo to perform Lil Wayne’s “How to Love” on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Collaborations with other YouTubers highlight Christina’s ability to adapt and compliment her fellow artists in songs.
- “DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love” by Usher (2010 Cover: Christina Grimmie and Alex Goot)
- “Break Your Heart” by Taio Cruz (2010 Cover: Christina Grimmie and Tiffany Alvord)
- “How to Love” by Lil Wayne (2011 Cover: Christina Grimmie and Tyler Ward)
- “My Songs Know What You Did In the Dark” (Light Em’ Up) by Fallout Boy / “Girl on Fire” by Alicia Keys” (2013 Cover: Christina Grimmie and Mike Tompkins)
Faith-Based YouTube Covers
Christina Grimmie and her family actively vocalized their dedication to their faith. Christina exemplified what it means to practice her own religion without losing respect and care for anyone she met. Humbled and down to earth, Christina interacted daily with her fans, strongly advocated for the children’s organization UNICEF, and never put herself on a pedestal above other musical artists.
Regardless of personal beliefs, Christina’s hauntingly gorgeous cover of “In Christ Alone” is bound to leave you breathless. Other covers of religious Christmas songs show off her phenomenal vocal range and true love for singing.
- “O Holy Night” by Adolphe Adam (2011 Cover)
- “Silent Night” by Franz Xaver Gruber (2015 Cover)
- “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” by Thomas Helmore (2014 Cover)
Christina Grimmie On The Voice
In 2014, Christina performed on season 6 of NBC’s singing competition show, The Voice. Performing different renditions of some of the same songs previously covered on her YouTube channel, Christina managed to continually win over all four judges on the show each week. Under the wing of mentor Adam Levine, Christina won second runner-up at the end of the competition.
“The Voice gave me the exposure that YouTube was never able to provide for me, just because I didn’t have a label or that kind of opportunity before. It also kind of trained me as person and performer with an audience.”
Christina Grimmie
Though many felt Christina should have won first place, she toured with other cast members on The Voice Summer Tour of 2014. After Christina’s passing, Adam Levine posted an emotional dedication to Christina and offered to pay for her funeral in full. Christina’s unbelievably powerful audition performance of Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” locked her into the competition and made her a fan favorite. Though all her Voice performances confirm her jaw-dropping talent, here are some of her most popular covers.
- “Dark Horse” by Katy Perry (2014 Cover)
- “I Won’t Give Up” by Jason Mraz (2014 Cover)
- “Hold On, We’re Going Home” by Drake (2014 Cover)
- “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Whitney Houston (2014 Cover)
Personal Songs: Family & Relationships
Christina Grimmie valued the constant, undying support of her family and friends. Her mother, Tina Grimmie, had been diagnosed with breast cancer for Christina’s entire life and was Christina’s biggest fan. Mark Grimmie, Christina’s close brother, often performed with her on Christina’s YouTube channel. After Christina’s passing, musician Stephen Rezza began posting about his romantic relationship with Christina and the devastating effects of her loss on his life. Additionally, Christina posted an original song and dance series, “Above All That Is Random“, with one of her best friends, Sarah Happlesful that gives us insight into her loving, endearing nature as a person.
A Song For Tina Grimmie: Christina’s Mother
Posthumously released by her family in 2018, Christina Grimmie’s song “Little Girl” is a touching song written for her mother, Tina. Tina Grimmie battled breast cancer for over 20 years before losing her fight in September 2018. Because of the extremely personal nature of the song, the Grimmie family held back on publishing the song to the internet for the public.
The song was written by Christina but acting as the voice of her mother, Christina lovingly sings, “Little girl / I know you’re scared / The things you bear / So let me / Tell you you’re okay.” Accompanied by pictures of Christina and Tina, the music video touchingly features Christina’s love for her mother.
Songs With Mark Grimmie: Christina’s Brother
A musician himself, Mark Grimmie and Christina, shared a special bond through their passion for music. During the shooting, Mark attempted to tackle the gunman in order to further prevent damage to his beloved sister. Despite all of his loss, Mark (and his father) continue to honor Christina’s legacy through charity events and the Christina Grimmie Foundation. Both Christina and Mark’s YouTube covers showcase real musical talent and love for one another.
Listed above is my favorite cover by Christina and Mark, System of a Down’s “Lonely Day.”
- “Through Glass” by Stone Sour (2011 Cover)
- “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye (2012 Cover)
- “What Child is This” by Thomas Hewitt Jones” (2013 Cover)
Songs By Stephen Rezza: Christina’s Boyfriend
Boyfriend and musician Stephen Rezza expressed his deepest sadness following the death of his girlfriend, Christina. Although the two kept their relationship quiet throughout Christina’s life, Stephen documented his outspoken, outpouring love for Christina on his social media. Even further, Stephen released a heart-wrenching musical tribute video to Christina on June 10th of 2019.
More recently, in April 2020, Stephen used his own talented skills as a musician to create an original song that featured Christina’s harmonizing vocals. Keeping her voice and memory alive, “Hardmode” presents itself as a catchy, upbeat track to remember Christina by.
Christina Grimmie’s Original Music
“My goal in my career is to inspire people, is to get my music out there and have people enjoy it, and have people think of me as an inspirational artist.”
Christina Grimmie
When Christina Grimmie amassed 1,000,000 subscribers on YouTube in 2011, she subsequently announced the upcoming release of her first original EP, Find Me. The night before June 14th, 2011, I sat with my iPod Touch in hand, waiting for the midnight release of Christina’s first album, Find Me on iTunes. Since the release of the album, Christina wrote and recorded dozens of original tracks. As an artist, Christina Grimmie consistently adapted to new musical styles that can be best heard listening to each new album and singles she gave to the public.
Find Me (2011)
Christina’s first EP, Find Me, was released almost 10 years ago, which I find hard to even believe! Though her voice and stylistic techniques as a musician have changed throughout the years, Find Me includes songs with a tempo you can’t help but dance along with. Christina’s first official music video features her hit single, “Advice,” off the album, and lets her audience know that the musical performance joyfully fulfilled her. All the original songs on Find Me can be found on YouTube or Spotify, but highlighted here are the gorgeous acoustic piano versions of her intoxicating standout tracks.
- “Find Me (Acoustic)”
- “King of Thieves (Acoustic)”
- “Liar Liar” (Acoustic)
With Love (2013)
In 2013, Christina Grimmie astounded fans again when she released her sophomore album, With Love. More grounded than Find Me, Christina’s passion for music seems stronger in this second album. The inspirational lyrics of these songs are more personal as Christina unshakably belts out insanely high notes.
Always upbeat, the rhythm of the music transports listeners into Christina’s head. With emotionally captivating songs like “I Bet You Don’t Curse God” and the jazzy track “Tell My Mama,” Christina’s talent shines bright in With Love.
Singles & Other Extraordinary Tracks
After Christina Grimmie’s first two albums, her subsequent albums (excluding the posthumous album All is Vanity) and EPs featured fewer tracks. Along with her rising stardom came tour obligations and opportunities in the music world. As a result, we received remarkable singles like “Must Be Love” and albums primarily focusing on her most fine-tuned music.
In the four years since Christina’s tragic death in 2016, the Grimmie family gave us unreleased music recorded by Christina, like the song “Snow White” on the Side A EP. Here, we listen to Christina trying out different musical styles she would have further experimented with had she not passed so early on in life. Thanks to forever captured video and audio, Christina Grimmie’s enormous influence in music, in our hearts and in our minds won’t be forgotten.
- “Must Be Love” (Single, 2014)
- “Stay With Me” (Single, 2015)
- “Deception” (Side A, 2016)
- “Invisible” (Side B, 2017)
- “I Only Miss You When I Breathe” (All is Vanity, 2017)
- “Hold Your Head Up” (Single, 2019)