From Alpine valleys to social media stardom: the journey of Jodok Cello

He always appears in his videos without shoes. What started out as Jodok Vuille finding his shoes "too ugly" when recording his first video has become his trademark. Jodok Vuille

Jodok Vuille, also known under his stage name Jodok Cello, has inspired his six million followers, including the likes of Pierce Brosnan and DJ Alan Walker.

What do you find when you mix classical music and social media? One classical musician, Jodok Vuille, or Jodok Cello, has made a mark with his six million followers on social media.

The 35-year-old combines the classic cello with the world’s biggest hits and has built up a global fan base via social media. In addition to around six million followers, well-known names such as actor Pierce Brosnan and DJ Alan Walker have been excited by his music videos. DJ Alan Walker was so impressed that he spontaneously asked Vuille to collaborate on a project.

Jodok Vuille’s musical journey began in the mountains of Emmental, in Canton Bern. Here he grew up on a farm. It was DJ Bobo’s, arguably Switzerland’s most famous DJ, cousin who taught him how to play the cello when Vuille was seven years old. At the time, not in his wildest dreams could he imagine where playing the cello would bring him in life. Instead, Vuille trained as a teacher and teaches sport, music, and cello in Hergiswil in Canton Lucerne.

However, with his increasing popularity has come increased responsibility. Balancing his newfound popularity has only been possible with the support from the school management, which has given him the freedom to fulfill his artistic ambitions: “Without the understanding and support of the school management, I wouldn’t be able to pursue my passion for music in this way,” says Vuille.

Breakthrough thanks to James Bond

The turning point in Vuille’s career came out of nowhere when Pierce Brosnan, former leading man from James Bond films, shared one of Vuille’s on his Instagram story. Overnight, Vuille’s Instagram ‘Jodok Cello’ follower count exploded.

It was then that Norwegian musician DJ Alan Walker left a comment on one of Vuille’s videos: “This is so good! Can you come to Norway tomorrow?” Vuille flew to the Norwegian mountains the very next day to film a music video for “Who I Am” with Walker.

The pressure to constantly deliver

As his success grows, so does the pressure. There is an expectation from his followers to regularly publish high-quality content. This demand can be stressful for the musician. “Sometimes it’s a struggle to fulfill everyone’s demands,” admits Vuille. But the positive response from his fans and their anticipation of new content motivates him to carry on down this path.

A path, by the way, that he walks barefoot. He always appears in his videos without shoes. What started out as Vuille finding his shoes “too ugly” when recording his first video has become his trademark. For the future, Vuille hopes to be able to focus his life more closely around his music. His biggest dream? To one day share the stage with Coldplay, one of the most successful bands of his generation.

If you look back at the unexpected twists and turns that Vuille’s life has already taken, this big dream does not seem so unrealistic.

Translated from German by DeepL/amva

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