Local singer records YouTube hit

East Meadowite Geri DeJohn is quick to say she doesn’t like to hear herself sing, but when Alex Calvo of Lynbrook approached her to record a song, she agreed.

Calvo first saw DeJohn sing with the Long Island Cabaret about five years ago when he was waiting to perform with his cover band, “Where’s Ringo?” A few years later he walked up to DeJohn after a show and said, “I have this song for you. It’s not about you, but it’s for you.”

DeJohn and Calvo, who once only knew one another in passing, now have a viral YouTube video. Calvo posted “When You Walked Out of My Life” on July 1 and, averaging 1,000 views per week, garnered more than 13,000 hits as the Herald went to print.

With DeJohn on vocals and Calvo playing the guitar, base and drums, the twosome said they are still surprised by the song’s popularity. Aside from reaching an American audience, the song, Calvo said, has been heard in Ireland, Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

“I was a little uncomfortable because I wasn’t really expecting anyone to see it,” said DeJohn, who joked she goes out in disguise to avoid fans.

“Who is listening to this?” Calvo still asks. He expected the post to maybe reach 100 people.

Calvo wrote the song with DeJohn’s vocals in mind, but added, the lyrics were inspired by a female neighbor whose husband unexpectedly left their 30-year relationship.

When asked if she liked recording, DeJohn said, “It was fun. I probably perform better in front of an audience because I feed off them, but it wasn’t intimidating at all. I figured, what’s the worse that can happen?”

To view the video, visit bit.ly/VDRun7