Cartoon, an Estonian musical group, emerged in 2015 when Hugo Martin Maasikas, Ago Teppand, and Joosep Järvesaar joined forces. Their notable presence lies in their music featured on NoCopyrightSounds, with “On & On” being their most prominent track, boasting the highest view count on NCS’s YouTube channel as of July 2023.
Formation
The roots of Cartoon trace back to the meeting of Ago and Josep during their high school years in Estonia in 2004, while Hugo connected with them at a party hosted by Ago. This unique blend of talent culminated in the formation of Cartoon in 2015. Since then, they have successfully garnered over 1 billion streams across various platforms, drawing inspiration from genres like classic drum ‘n’ bass and stadium EDM.
Career
On July 9, 2015, Cartoon unveiled their NCS single, “On & On,” featuring Daniel Levi. This track catapulted their career to new heights, amassing over 400 million views on NoCopyrightSounds’ YouTube channel. Remarkably, it claimed the #1 spot on the Estonian airplay chart during its 39th week.
In 2016, Cartoon made their presence felt in the “Eesti Laul 2016” song contest with the entry “Immortality,” featuring Kristel Aaslaid. Although they secured the third place, Jüri Pootsmann emerged as the winner. Their songs continued to earn recognition, netting three Song of the Year nominations in 2016 and 2017.
March 11, 2016, marked the release of Cartoon’s “I Remember U,” featuring Estonian singer Jüri Pootsmann. The song achieved #1 on the Estonian Airplay Chart and the music video became Estonia’s most viewed in 2016 on YouTube.
In 2016, Cartoon also claimed the top spot in the Estonian Artists Top Charts.
Following a hiatus in August 2017, Cartoon made a comeback in 2020.
Fast forward to July 2023, “On & On” achieved Silver certification by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Subsequently, in September, it was honored with Gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Their music has garnered immense popularity, especially through YouTube, boasting over 850 million views. Additionally, their tracks have been streamed more than 500 million times on Spotify. Cartoon released their music through Liquicity and their NoCopyrightSounds label.
These achievements underscore Cartoon’s significant impact on the music industry, particularly in the realm of electronic music and online platforms.