Former President Barack Obama just pulled off a huge surprise for YouTubers Fred and Tim Williams.
The 22-year-old twins gained a huge following last summer for going viral with their incredible reaction to Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight" as first-time listeners. Ever since, new fans have been tuning in to their YouTube channel to watch them hear other classic tracks for the first time.
As the brothers filmed what they thought was a pre-recorded message for their episode of the YouTube Originals series "BookTube," they listened to Bob Dylan's "Times They Are a-Changin" after seeing it in a playlist Obama put together to mark the release of his new memoir, "A Promised Land."
When they launch into their listen of Dylan's track, the brothers are shocked when they hear, "Hey people! What's going on?" and see Obama appear on the screen.
Bewildered, the twins wonder if the former president is speaking live or if it's a prerecorded message. When they realize they're actually talking to Obama, the brothers laugh in amazement.
"I hear you guys were asking questions. I decided I'm just gonna go ahead and come here live," Obama said.
During their conversation, the twins ask why he's a fan of Dylan's music and the song "Times They Are a-Changin" in particular.
"I've been a Bob Dylan fan for a long time, partly because I'm just older. He was part of that kind of social conscience that was in rock music and later in hip hop music," the 59-year-old replied. "Whenever you can find some musicians that really have a message about how America might be, how the world might be that always is something that I pay attention to and he's one of the greatest example of that."
The brothers also asked Obama if he ever made mixtapes growing up, and he had a pretty relatable response.
“Mixtapes were hard back then. You guys have it easy," he said.
The twins were understandably thrilled to speak to the former president, but Obama seemed to enjoy the experience too and added that he's proud of the work they're doing.
“The country's so divided right now and on the internet a lot of times everybody's just mad, and (what) you guys are doing — which is being open to new ideas, new experiences and reaching out to different traditions — that's America at its best,” he said. “I think you guys sending that message is powerful.”
The rest of the twins' Q&A with Obama will run in the Dec. 16 episode of BookTube.