When the Argentine actor Juan Pablo Di Pace scored a gig at New York’s 54 Below in 2017, his crystalline voice and smoking looks were destined to make him go viral. But no one could have expected his sensitive and striking cover of ABBA’s “The Winner Takes It All” to amass over 6.2 million views!
Juan is no stranger to singing ABBA hits. The Buenos Aires star had kickstarted his career here in the UK performing in London’s West End and landing a number of film and TV roles (including a moment on “The Catherine Tate Show”!), before stepping firmly into the spotlight playing Petros in the 2008 smash hit ABBA musical, “Mamma Mia!”
But as Juan reprises this ABBA hit before a spellbound live audience, his crisp and clean theatre voice transforms the ballad into a moment of pure magic. With a voice as smooth as glass, Juan’s deep notes come steeped in wholesome professionalism while his heart-stirring high tones steal the show. As the band gradually picks up behind him, Juan takes his opportunity to shine, letting flawless vibratos ring out in all their power while tapping into the raw emotion simmering behind every lyric.
Some Music Man readers are bound to watch this clip and see Juan’s skills as merely being on par with a club or cruise singer, complete with those cliché intonations and forced eye-sparkles that bleed the real passion out of pop music. However, countless viewers have taken to the YouTube comments to spread the love for Juan’s cover. And to fans, the story behind the song takes center stage.
As @wiwikasri wrote, “ABBA’s songs always have a story, it’s not just a song. [It’s] interesting to watch who can sing the song and also tell the story,” another viewer picked up the trail, commenting, “It’s crazy that you can hear and sing along to a song a thousand times but never really pay attention to the lyrics. Then someone covers the song and you suddenly realize how amazing, powerful and deep the lyrics are! Gorgeous rendition, gorgeous voice, gorgeous man.”
It’s not just Juan’s voice that’s kept viewers coming back to this clip. Another unsuspecting music fan was sent spiraling into a fangirl haze after this viral vid, revealing, “I just cried in my hotel pillow for 5 minutes… I’m not even ashamed, lol. Who is this man and why am I not married to him? OMG, the most emotional live version I’ve ever heard.”
This isn’t Juan’s only cover to go YouTube-viral. His channel, @JPDPace, is studded with covers from Joni Mitchell to Michael Jackson, and scattered with a few original songs of his own! If Juan’s ABBA cover has only got you wanting more, you can listen to one of Juan’s own tunes, “Broken,” in the video above.
Juan Pablo Di Pace continues to captivate audiences with his unparalleled talent and emotive performances. His remarkable rendition of ABBA’s classic proves he’s not just performing—he’s creating moments of magic. To dive deeper into Juan’s extraordinary journey and explore more of his captivating work, check out the links below.