Rarely has a vibrant video ever felt so bleak.
US children’s entertainer and YouTuber Stephen Sharer today revealed the music video for his new tune, Slushie, which celebrates warm weather, hanging with your mates, and the simple joy of heading outside.
“Tired of the inside / so let’s be / lit in the sunshine / go crazy / we can keep it cool with a slushie,” Sharer sings.
In 13 hours, the clip has been viewed more than 450,000 times.
It’ll be a huge success for Sharer. It’s just unfortunate the video comes in the middle of a pandemic.
The clip was dragged to the attention of adults by BuzzFeed News tech reporter Katie Notopoulos, who noted the song’s message is effectively about “how cool it is to break quarantine.”
I’ve listened to this like 10x I am losing if
— Katie Notopoulos (@katienotopoulos) August 11, 2020
Notopoulos’ Twitter thread led users to compare the tune to Rebecca Black‘s epoch-defining hit Friday, which set a standard for viral YouTube hits. But unlike Black’s tune, Slushie arrival feels a little sinister.
The Slushie music video is the sixth video Sharer has uploaded this week, and the 13th in the past four weeks. That frantic schedule – plus the mandatory Instagram and TikTok posts that go along with modern YouTube fame – speaks to an always-on influencer culture which simply isn’t prepared to slow down during a pandemic.
@stephensharerDancing cuz my new music video called SLUSHIE is official out!! Have you watched it yet?! ##Slushie♬ Slushie – Stephen Sharer
Last week, The New York Times reported on influencer house parties in Los Angeles, and the fact that young creators simply cannot stop pumping out content.
Producers interviewed by the Times said young stars have hustled too hard to gain attention in a crowded social media market; to some, turning down a party is effectively turning down a business opportunity.
That’s not to say Sharer is slamming booze at crowded house parties for content. Speaking to Young Hollywood, Sharer said his videos have changed over the past few weeks to incorporate fewer out-of-home adventures.
Even then, there’s scarcely a mention of the pandemic in Sharer’s actual content. Behind-the-scenes footage of the Slushie video production does show the majority of cast members wearing face masks, but only between takes. Any acknowledgement of the pandemic definitely didn’t make the final cut.
https://twitter.com/TaylorLorenz/status/1293016277250908160
Sharer’s tune suggests listeners should head to the beach, and claims “We can bring the party / no matter the city’s name.” To me, that doesn’t feel like a deliberate attempt to march children into the plague. It’s a tone-deaf message from a creator culture that’s incapable of accepting that summer won’t go to plan.
