“Viva La Vida” is Reuel’s first release of 2020 following his 2018 albums Classical and First Snow and his 2019 album Transformations. He’s also covered Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” and John Legend’s “All of Me.”
His 2013 cover of Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” has racked up almost 3 million views on YouTube, and he’s spent the last few years shifting between pop, classical piano, and electronic dance music. Reuel is no stranger to meticulously-arranged crossover piano covers. “The video increases this musical energy with sweeping camera angles, neon visuals, quick scene cuts, and colorful lighting moving across the 7ft open grand piano during the performance,” Reuel explains. Meanwhile, the video-directed by Patrick Drennon and Payton Ware-shows the artist performing at a grand piano as lights swirl around him and reflect off his jacket. “This new arrangement focuses on virtuosic piano themes and high levels of energy on the choruses with percussive production overall,” Reuel tells American Songwriter of his version of the track, which sees Las Vegas-based artist ditching the original version’s vocals and swapping its string section for soaring piano. “‘Viva La Vida’ is an iconic pop anthem and I have always wanted to reimagine it in a classical-crossover style,” says Reuel of his new cover of the Coldplay classic, which premieres below with a vibrant performance video.