Patrick Stump Calls Reaction To A Cappella Grammy Video A 'Happy Surprise'

Earlier this week, Patrick Stump continued his slow march toward social-media proficiency (he even writes his own tweets now!) when he released a brand-new video of himself doing a cappella versions of the five songs nominated for Record of the Year at the Grammys. In the days since its premiere, the clip has become a sensation, something that has as much to do with his genuinely great vocal chops (and oddly mesmerizing bow tie) as it does with the fact that it's not exactly clear why he decided to make the video in the first place.

So we asked him. And as it turns out, Stump — who's gearing up for the release of his solo debut, Soul Punk — never intended for the video to be made public, until he received some advice to the contrary.

"I guess I decided to do the a cappella thing 'cause I've been put down as a musician a few times as 'just a singer,' and I wanted to kind of see how much [of] a musician I could be with just my voice," Stump wrote in an e-mail to MTV News. "Choosing to sing the Grammy nominees started because 'Nothin' on You' was in my head for a week, then 'Empire State of Mind,' and I'd seen they were both nominated. The whole thing just kind of came together naturally. I recorded it right around the time they were announced, I showed it to some friends and they were like, 'Post this!' "

So he did. Stump said that he's been blown away by the reaction his a cappella clip has received, though that doesn't mean he's not above nitpicking. Not about the music, mind you: No, most of his criticisms have to do with his wardrobe decisions.

"It's just been one of those happy little unplanned pleasant surprises," he wrote. "I should've worn a different shirt with that bow tie, though."