Working across the pond to unite Nickelback with the sea shanty trend
Yo-ho-ho and a bathtub you can play baseball in: Nickelback is one of the latest bands picking up vessels of booze and rocking back and forth in sea shanty form.
The trend of turning songs into rhythmic sea-fairing songs might have reached its pinnacle here, now that the band people love to hate has gotten involved.
A week ago, the British group Lottery Winners posted their version of Nickelback’s “Rockstar” and, within a few days, Nickelback was picking up the instruments and microphones and adding their own vocals to the new version. So far, more than 1.1 million people have given the video a view on Nickelback’s page.
It’s…damn catchy. And kind of impressive.
NME reports the person believed to have posted the first TikTok sea shanty, Nathan Evans, 26, of Scotland, has done real well for himself: his rendition of the 19th century song “Soon May the Wellerman Come” has reached the Top 10 in the UK, he’s signed with Polydor and quit his job as a postal carrier.
He’s not the only one benefiting from the trend: Late Canadian singer Stan Rogers’ catalogue is having something of a renaissance, thanks to the sea shanty trend and its international media coverage. Rogers’ work in particular has had a 250% increase in streams since the start of the year.
“It’s great to see the work of incredible Canadian artists like Stan Rogers, Jimmy Rankin and the Irish Rovers appreciated by a whole new generation,” says Geoff Kulawick, president of True North Records. “It goes to show the power of music and lyrical storytelling has when it comes to connecting people from all walks of life.”
