Persons of Interest: Karmin

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Amy Heidemann and Nick Noonan exchanged numbers at a Berklee College of Music party in 2006. She was the hot female vocalist on campus, he was the best jazz trombonist. “But I didn’t think we’d connect later on,” Heidemann says. “I was kind of cocky, like, I can get whatever guy I want. I’ve got this locked.” Noonan laughs: “And I was like, I got this unlocked.”

He was right: Six years later, the couple is hitched in more ways than one — engaged to be married and members of the pop duo Karmin. Buoyed by a string of dead-on hip-hop covers that showcase Heidemann’s impressive ability to imitate any rapper’s flow (check out her Lil’ Wayne) and Noonan’s innovative, minimalist percussion, they’ve become a YouTube phenom. “Nick has a kind of mystery-man, rocker-boy edge, and I have this R & B diva thing happening,” Heidemann says. “But hip-hop is what brings it all together.” The pair quickly went from playing on Newbury Street and filming videos in Heidemann’s apartment near Agganis Arena to snagging a guest spot on Ellen and getting a surprise invite to perform with the Roots at Tufts.

Karmin’s first original album drops next month, and includes two radio-friendly singles, “Crash Your Party” and “Broken­hearted.” Though the couple moved to California last September to be closer to producers and recording studios, they won’t soon forget their humble roots here. After all, they’ve got a single to show for it. “‘Brokenhearted’ kind of tells our story,” Heidemann says, recalling how Noonan didn’t call her after that fateful party. “But I guess it doesn’t end at being brokenhearted.”