Canadian star Michael Bublé caused a real scene in a New York City subway station with a stunning acapella performance with vocal group Naturally 7. The traditional pop singer was in fine form, with his golden voice causing quite a traffic jam of commuters, all with big smiles on their faces.
Bublé performed “Who’s Lovin’ You” from his album To Be Loved, and it was well received online as well, with the video being viewed 5.6 million times as you can see below. Naturally 7’s beautiful harmonies, reminiscent of gospel music, really bring the performance to the next level.
Bublé, who often makes spontaneous public appearances, was clearly stoked with the performance. Afterwards he said “That was the coolest thing ever. That is when you know you’ve made it. Singing in the New York subway is something that’s been done for years and years. I feel like that’s the most authentic, organic way to make music. You see some of the greatest musicians in the world come down here and play.”
He said that the architecture added to the sound, explaining that “With the tiles, you get this great bounce. Out of all the press I had to do, in Europe and America, this is what I was the most excited about.” Feeling a bit cheeky, the star added in a hammy accent “I feel like a real New Yorker now.” Check out the studio version of “Who’s Lovin’ You” below.
Curiously, the completely acapella subway performance of “Who’s Lovin’ You” was a bigger hit on YouTube than the full production studio recording, as it gained more than twice the views. The song was originally written and recorded in 1960 by singer-songwriter Smokey Robinson for his Motown vocal group The Miracles.
“Who’s Lovin’ You”, which laments a failed relationship, was released as a b-side to their first Motown hit “Shop Around” and also became a hit in its own right. In addition to becoming one of the group’s most popular songs, it has since been covered by many big name acts, including The Temptations, The Supremes, Human Nature, John Farnham and Jessica Mauboy.
The most well-known version of the tune was recorded by The Jackson 5 in 1969, with Michael Jackson on lead vocals. The song, as a b-side to “I Want You Back”, went to number one on the the Billboard Hot 100. “Who’s Lovin’ You” was also memorably performed by a 12-year-old Shaheen Jafargholi at Michael Jackson’s public memorial service.
“Who’s Lovin’ You” was included as an album track on Bublé’s eighth studio album To Be Loved. The Bob Rock-produced affair included ten standards as well as four Bublé originals. The release was Bublé’s fourth consecutive album to hit number one on the Billboard 200. It did the same in the UK and became the third best-selling album of the year.
Naturally 7 appeared as the support act on the To Be Loved Tour and Bublé sang “Who’s Lovin’ You” nightly on the tour. If you would like to see more from Michael Bublé, you can subscribe to their YouTube channel. You can also visit their official website for more information.