Tyler Mancuso of Omaha is a self-taught musician studying actuarial science at UNL. The last time he performed before a live audience was when he was in choir in the second grade.
Last month, Mancuso produced a video of his a cappella version of “Pompeii,” a hit song by the British band Bastille. The clever video features nine versions of Tyler performing the harmonies and vocal percussion of the piece. MSN Video and Ellen Degeneres’ Good News website have posted links to the “amazing” video, generating more than 225,000 hits so far.
Mancuso doesn’t know how to read music. He began recording his singing after he became a student at UNL. After having some success with a previous video — a cover of a Justin Timberlake song that generated about 1,700 views on YouTube — Mancuso invested in a better microphone and a Mac laptop to generate a more polished product. The latest video took about two days of singing and two weeks of “pretty intense” editing.
Mancuso says his Husker roots are strong. His first cousin, Gina Mancuso, was an outside hitter for the Husker volleyball team.
Tyler says he plans to seek an actuarial job after he graduates next December. He describes his singing as a “God-given talent” that he wants to use in a positive way.
“I was hoping to make something that people would be excited to see, that people will enjoy,” he said.
