The duo rose to fame after their cover of "Smooth Criminal" became a hit on YouTube,[5] receiving over three million views in the first two weeks[4] and over ten million views in all.[6] The creation of the music video was prompted by the cellists' financial difficulties, despite their musical success in the UK. The duo met in Pula, where one of Hauser's friends, a director, proposed that they try the pop music market by creating a video to "Smooth Criminal." The video, originally posted on 20 January 2011,[7] features Šulić and Hauser facing off alone in a large white room, playing Jackson's tune.[4] In fact, before they became partners, the two cellists were sometimes considered rivals, competing against each other in music contests.[7]