Exclusive: Us the Duo to Tour With Oprah Thanks to ‘Book of Life’ Song
After Oprah Winfrey saw Fox’s upcoming animated feature The Book of Life, she became so enthralled by the end-credits song that she had the act booked for the U.S. tour of her “The Life You Want Weekend.”
Us the Duo, the first musical act to become established via Vine, will be the featured musical act during the Oprah tour, which starts Friday in Atlanta and wraps Nov. 14-15 in San Jose, Calif.
More from Billboard
Us the Duo Becomes Vine’s First Major-Label Signing
“Oprah fell in love with the movie and she heard about us, the song ‘No Matter Where You Are’ and our story,” says Michael Alvarado, who shares the stage with his wife Carissa. “The team was really excited to pitch her the idea of bringing us on the tour and it became another beautiful marriage of missions colliding.”
The Oprah tour is mainly populated by authors and inspirational speakers: Deepak Chopra, Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love), Rob Bell (Love Wins and What We Talk About When We Talk About God), Iyanla Vanzant (Forgiveness: 21 Days to Forgive Everyone for Everything) and Dancing With the Stars finalist Amy Purdy.
“We’re super jazzed about what’s being spoken about and just trying to inspire the listeners there,” says Alvarado, who spelled out Us the Duo’s mission as “inspiring people through music, encouraging people to pursue that one passion they have in life and showing that love still exists, that relationships are important.”
Their first single since signing with Republic Records, “No Matter Where You Are,” is featured twice in The Book of Life, which will be released Oct. 17. Zoe Saldana, Diego Luna and Placido Domingo sing Us’ song during the film’s emotional apex, and the original version plays over the end credits.
The song was an extension of the Alvarados’ wedding vows.
“Once we met the team and they heard our story, they were taken aback by how much our story was like the story in the movie — follow your passion, follow your heart,” Carissa said. “It’s a dream come true to have a song in a move, so surreal to see it all happening.”
The Life You Want Weekend tour dates:
9/5-6 – Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena
9/12-13 – Auburn Hills, MI @ The Palace at Auburn Hills
9/19-20 – Washington, D.C. @ Verizon Center
9/26-27 – Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center
10/17-18 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
10/24-25 – Miami, FL @ American Airlines Arena
11/7-8 – Seattle, WA @ Key Arena
11/14-15 – San Jose, CA @ SAP Center
Best of Billboard
Solve the daily Crossword
