Australia’s newest TikTok A-lister is none other than former Primer Minister, handball king and hairdryer diva Kevin Rudd. Just one more old friend to randomly follow on the app, hey.
Rudd posted his second video – a duet, no less – earlier this week, and it combines that endearing KRudd awkwardness with the urgency of his very serious petition to get a Royal Commission into Rupert Murdoch‘s media empire.
If none of this makes sense just… watch below. That should clear things up.
@mrkrudd##duet with @fettuccinefettuqueen for ##murdochroyalcommission — I encourage everyone to sign at newsroyalcommission.com and keep spreading the word♬ CMON KEVIN LETS DUET – Gabbi
Sure, Rudd’s contribution looks like a hostage video shot in a highway motel (his ambiguously scruffy new look makes it unclear whether he’s the captor or victim), but the content is actually good.
After all these years, the former PM has perfected the art of communicating important issues to people other than boomers.
Here’s how it came about.
A month ago, 23-year-old Aussie TikToker and muso Gabbi Bolt uploaded rap that was all about Rudd’s petition.
@fettuccinefettuqueenSIGN! Link in Bio! ##auspol ##FYP ##foryou ##aussie ##RhymePOV ##musical ##kevinrudd♬ SIGN THE PETITION FOR A ROYAL COMMISSION – Gabbi
Rudd commented on TikTok (and quote-tweeted) that it was “perfectly excellent rapping”, which is Kev-speak for three fire emojis.
“I wasn’t quite game to duet this time…” he added, which apparently got Bolt thinking.
Perfectly excellent rapping from @GabbiBolt, spreading the word about our petition for #MurdochRoyalCommission. I wasn’t quite game to duet this time…
Gabbi’s also right. Sign the petition: https://t.co/FjfK7ij7YQ https://t.co/kUbnmRcDKA
— Office of Kevin Rudd, 26th PM of Australia (@MrKRudd) October 17, 2020
Treating Rudd’s response as a challenge, the TikToker then released a second song, in which all Rudd had to do was say his own goddamn name.
“All you have to do is say the words, ‘Kevin Rudd’, which I feel you’re pretty good at, at this point,” Bolt said.
The rest, they say, is history.
Okay this is the fucking wildest thing that’s ever happened to me. I GOT A FORMER PRIME MINISTER TO SING. @MrKRudd I won’t make you do anything else but seriously if you wanna do an album… have your people call my people (well, I don’t have any people so just call me) https://t.co/fDVPJ3gK1g
— Gabbi Bolt (@GabbiBolt) October 20, 2020
Now, this isn’t KRudd’s first ever TikTok. That honour goes to a greenscreen job he uploaded last month, also to promote his petition.
But this duet is his second upload, and getting the the former PM to even acknowledge you online, let alone sing along to a song your wrote yourself, is a fucking wild achievement.
Next step is for Big Kev to duet Nathan Apodaca and belt out “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac. Until then, you can sign the petition.
