Contrary to popular belief, the most talked about musical sensation amongst young listeners at the moment is not Olivia Rodrigo’s breakout hit “Driver’s License,” or SZA’s “Good Days,” or even Ariana Grande, Doja Cat, and Meghan Thee Stallion’s exciting “34+35” collab. In fact, the musical trend taking over the globe right now is not even from this century. Thanks to the power of viral TikTok videos, Gen-Z and Millennial music fans have surprisingly grown obsessed with traditional sea shanties. 

Sea shanties are a style of 19th century folk song that were originally sung by merchants, pirates, and sailors at sea. Their lyrics and tunes were purposefully created to be simple and catchy so that crew members could easily learn the songs and join in. The collective singing experience was an important tradition, as it enabled crews to focus and unify while sailing. 

This forgotten style of music has unexpectedly turned into the biggest musical trend of 2021, thanks to a TikTok posted by 26 year-old Nathan Evans in which he sings “The Wellerman,” a 1860s sea shanty. The video began to garner attention in late December as fellow TikTokers created duets to add their own voice or instrument to the performance. The original video and its duets quickly received millions of views, prompting the creation of the trend “#ShantyTok” and inspiring others to join in. As of February, Evans’ original video has amassed over 11 million views, while videos tagged with #Wellerman and #SeaShanty have reached over 140 million and 4 billion views respectively. 

As #ShantyTok grew in popularity, fans were inspired to give their favorite 21st century songs the sea shanty-treatment. Remixes of Cardi B and Meghan Thee Stallion’s “WAP,” All Time Low’s “Dear Maria Count Me In,” and Smash Mouth’s “All Star” have gone viral, amongst others. Even the US Navy Band joined in, putting their own shanty-spin on “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” by Taylor Swift. These modern day shanties have prompted musicians across genre and generation to get involved in the trend, including Andrew Lloyd Weber, Jimmy Fallon and the Roots, and Brian May of Queen. 

While it may seem strange upon first glance, it’s really no surprise that sea shanties are the new anthem of 2021. These songs are primarily about connection and collaboration, two things that we are all searching for as we enter the 11th month of COVID-19 restrictions. As #ShantyTok creator Nathan Evans said, “everyone is feeling alone and stuck at home during this pandemic, and [shanties] give … everyone a sense of unity and friendship … [they’re] great because they bring loads of people together and anyone can join in.” This special style of music is surprisingly exactly what the world needs right now, and TikTokers like Evans are creating a global community, one sea shanty at a time. 

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Live music is undoubtedly one of the industries that has been hit the hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic, with countless jobs lost, venues shuttering across the globe, and many businesses losing close to 100% of their revenue. The eventual recovery of this industry is largely dependent on the speed of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, which has been a sluggish process so far in the United States. In response to this slow pace, the live music industry came together last week in a letter addressed to President Joe Biden to offer its assistance with COVID-19 vaccination efforts.

The live music business is uniquely suited to help with the vaccination process, as America’s plentiful venues are equipped with ticketing and notification systems, crowd-control facilities, and refrigerators capable of storing large quantities of the vaccine. Live event venues are also often located near public transportation/parking and have an abundance of unemployed and furloughed workers who are looking to get back to work. Recognizing these advantages, the live music industry has been ready and willing to offer their services to COVID-19 relief efforts since March 2020. However, under the Trump administration, their resources were never requested by the federal government. The slow vaccine rollout has thus been disappointing and frustrating for live music professionals, as expressed by Michael Rapino, CEO of Live Nation, in a tweet on January 16th: “If the live event industry was tasked with vaccination distribution we would have done it in a weekend, sold t-shirts and beer and a meet and greet with [Anthony] Fauci.” 

Last week’s initiative began with Wayne Forte, founder of Entourage Talent, who was eager to offer the live industry’s support to the new federal administration. He contacted colleagues across the industry, including Coren Capshaw of Red Light Management, Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino, AEG CEO Jay Marciano, and NIVA President Dayna Frank. The letter addressed Biden’s plan to vaccinate 100 million Americans in his first 100 days, emphasizing the live event industry’s unique capacity to assist. It was cosigned by AEG, Bandit Lies, The Broadway League, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, the International Alliance of Venue Managers, Live Nation, the National Association of Music Merchants, the National Independent Talent Organization, the National Independent Venue Association, Oak View Group, Save Live Events Now, and We Make Events. 

This letter comes just one month after the Save Our Stages Act became a law as a part of Congress’ COVID-19 relief package. This much-needed bill allotted $15 billion dollars in federal aid to independent venues and music industry professionals, and was passed largely due to the efforts of NIVA, one of the co-signers of the letter to Joe Biden. Forte said that the industry’s offer to Biden is not only an important way to promote public safety, but also the “perfect giving back situation” for the Save Our Stages Act. 

Forte is hopeful that the resources offered by the live industry will greatly expedite vaccine rollout, bringing the country one step closer to normality and the return of live music. The letter closes with this powerful plea:

“We have been closed for nearly one full year to protect public health. Please let us now go to work to protect public health. We share your goal to get America back to work, school and in gathering places of all kinds quickly and safely. We are ready to meet to discuss how we can help as soon as you and your staff are able.” 

If you are interested in reading the rest of the letter, click here.

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This past weekend, all eyes were on The Flaming Lips as they introduced a rather unconventional strategy of bringing back live music while still following COVID-19 restrictions. The rock band hosted the first ever full-length “space bubble” concert at the Criterion Theatre in Oklahoma, where fans and musicians were confined to huge, plastic, inflatable balls during the performance. The idea originated from front man Wayne Coyne, who has often used a Zorb ball to roll over the audience during the band’s decades of experimental live events. The Flaming Lips have been trying to create a show using this interesting technique for months, debuting the strategy during a one-song performance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last June. The Oklahoma City natives originally scheduled this weekend’s two full-length performances for December, but were forced to postpone due to rising COVID-19 cases in Oklahoma after Thanksgiving. 

Check out what the fan perspective was like at these revolutionary shows:

In preparation for these shows, the floor of the Criterion was divided into a 10×10 grid, with each square dedicated to a space bubble that could hold up to three fans. Before the performance, audience members climbed into the plastic bubbles, which were then inflated by venue staff using leaf blowers. Once inside, fans could then take off their masks and jump around for at least 70 minutes before the bubbles needed to be unzipped or refilled with clean air. Each bubble was equipped with features to increase the fans’ comfort, including supplemental speakers to prevent sound muffling, water bottles, battery-operated fans, a towel to wipe condensation, and a sign to communicate with venue staff. The sign had two sides, one saying “I gotta pee,” prompting a staff member to help them exit the bubble and safely find the bathroom, and another announcing it’s “hot in here,” requesting a refill on cold air from a leaf blower.  

The Flaming Lips played 12 songs in their 90 minute set, featuring both classic tracks and new music from their 2020 album, American Head. The audience happily bounced around and clapped by “punching the top of their bubble” according to cameraman Nathan Poppe, and the venue was filled with cheers when Coyne held up a balloon that said “F*** you COVID19.” The show ended with fans rolling their bubbles towards the exit, where they could re-mask and leave the venue. 

Coyne says that the show is easily replicable if artists can find a venue with enough space for attendees to social distance prior to entering the bubbles. However, some professionals are skeptical as to whether the bubbles actually acted as sufficient guards against the transmission of COVID-19, and are cautious of encouraging similar future events. The biggest concern is that the bubbles are not properly ventilated, making them an ineffective preventative measure. Dr. Sandro Galea, Dean of the Boston University School of Public Health, told the New York Times that “in theory, if air filtration is good, protective barriers can helpfully augment and reduce risk of transmission, but I would be hesitant to attend a concert in a bubble at the moment unless this has been assessed further.” Other professionals have also pointed out that there is a risk of dangerously high CO2 levels inside the bubbles. 

Despite these concerns, the Flaming Lips still feel that their performances were extremely successful and safe, with Wayne Coyne even suggesting that “space bubble” shows may become the “new normal.” They have repeatedly made it clear that their first priority has always been safety, reassuring fans that attending their concert is “safer than going to the grocery store.” 

Who knows, maybe all of our favorite artists will be bouncing around in Zorb balls in a few months – we’ll just have to wait and see.

What do you think? Leave a comment below.

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