When many Americans think of the ultimate live stage venue – especially if you’re a performer trying to make your mark – they inevitably mention Carnegie Hall in New York City. Carnegie Hall has an international reputation, but for many Brits, the sign of “making it” as a musician is your appearance on the stage of the Palladium in London’s West End.
The Palladium began its historic journey in 1910. Since that time, its stage has welcomed performers including Duke Ellington, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, Josephine Baker, Johnny Cash, Donny Osmond and most of the productions of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s world famous musicals. Yes, it’s a big deal.
So the Palladium stage debut of Flintz and Taylor was both amazing and equally big a deal as any of the other artist’s debuts on that same stage. You probably recognize names like Sinatra and Cash, but you’re likely thinking, “Who the heck are Flintz and Taylor?” Well, you wouldn’t be alone because Flintz is a young, 22-year-old amateur rapper from London and Taylor, 17, is from Birmingham.
They met online through social media during the Coronavirus lockdown. They struck up a friendship. Flintz raps and Taylor plays and composes on the piano. Using remote video links alone, they practiced putting Flintz’ raps to Taylor’s compositions. For months, that’s how they worked–completely remotely.
When they appeared in a 2022 episode of Britain’s Got Talent, when asked about their history as a performing duo, they pointed out that they were just meeting–at that exact moment on the Palladium stage–for the first time. And just moments before, they were to perform in front of thousands of people and the Britain’s Got Talent judges. The judges were, as the British say, “gob smacked”. You could tell by the faces of both the judges and the audiences that this couldn’t go well.
Until it did. Taylor played and Flintz rapped about his bad choices, his early life lessons and the importance of setting a better example for his younger brothers. And… the crowd went wild. As one judge said, “This shouldn’t have worked… this was like a scene out of a movie”.
Stuck at home, during a global meltdown, these two young guys found each other, learned of their individual talents and figured out how to work “with” each other, as they waited out lockdown. And boy, did they work through lockdown.
In the 21st century technology is showing us ways to be with, talk with, work with and, apparently, create with people we’ve never met…. Until we meet them for the first time on the stage of London’s famous Palladium theater in front of an audience of thousands live and millions globally and change their world and ours forever.
