I’ V E S Y A W L A D E T N A W TO BE Nathan Evans on TikTok viral success and why sea shanties are having a moment during the pandemic. After swapping posting letters for posting chart-topping hits online, ex-Postman Nathan Evans has quickly tackled the notoriously fickle waters of TikTok and succeeded with his hit cover of a classic sea shanty, the ‘Wellerman’. The Airdrie-based artist has big plans to be anything but a one-hit-wonder. With his drive to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Ed Sheeran, paired with his impressive vocal skills - the world is his oyster. Off-the-bat, Evan’s dream may be sky-high but his feet are firmly planted on the ground. Discussing how he’s been managing the newfound success, he says: “I’m just taking each day as it comes, and really that’s how I’ve lived my life up until this point. I’m not going to change that.”
WHEN I’M HAVING THESE CONVERSATIONS, IT FEELS LIKE I’M TALKING ABOUT SOMEBODY ELSE.”
The effect of starting a new trend and becoming the face of a new cultural sensation still hasn’t sunk in. “It’s surreal. When I’m having these conversations, it feels like I’m talking about somebody else. It’s crazy,” says Evans. Crazy indeed, nobody could have predicted that the pandemic would have reawoken the nation’s adoration of sea shanties. It was only right to get the reasoning behind it from the source himself. “I think it’s because everybody’s stuck at home,” says Evans. “They’re all feeling a bit lonely, feeling just a bit fed up and down. These songs have come along and put a smile on your face. And, I think that’s exactly what everybody needs at the minute.”
It would make sense, as traditional sea shanties first became popular for boosting morale while merchant seamen carried out their work, often in tough conditions. Due to his part in starting this unforeseen TikTok trend with ‘The Wellerman’, he swiftly became increasingly recognised on his rounds at work. “It was off the back of the ‘Wellerman’ song. There were a couple of people who recognised me from TikTok. I uploaded the song, say on Thursday and then by the time Monday came, emails started coming in, people were recognising me on the street and stuff like that.” The following Friday saw Evans leave his job to pursue the wealth of opportunities landing in his inbox. “I thought ‘I’m going to go and I’m going to see if I can make the most of this,’” he says. It’s clearly caused quite a stir in the music industry, with even Andrew Lloyd Webber posting his own rendition. There have also been other unexpected fans of his music which surprised him. “Brian May knows who I am and that’s absolutely insane. He uploaded a video, and he was talking about me. And then, he played a solo on his electric guitar of the ‘Wellerman’. I feel as if I’m dreaming at this point.” Evans went on to release ‘Wellerman’ as a remix with 220 Kid and Billen Ted, which has thirty million streams on Spotify alone. Naturally, the cause of this collaboration was TikTok. “220 Kid was on TikTok scrolling and he saw my video. He was like, ‘That’d be really cool and fun to do a remix’ so he just took the TikTok video and remixed the sound from that. Then he sent it over and he asked, ‘What do you think of this?’ And, I said, ‘That’s hilarious.’” It was not only the first time that Evans had spoken to him but also one of the first times he’d become starstruck, exclaiming, “Oh my god, someone very
