Last night (November 22), while many were tuning in to the newest season of I’m A Celebrity, others were participating in a mediocre talent show on Twitter that went viral and held the number one trending spot in the UK for over five hours.
“SING YOUR DIALECT” – which felt reminiscent of the unpolished Noughties X Factor auditions we all adore – was spontaneously created by Manchester-based Twitter user @jacobbmc2 at 7 pm. After listening to a similar Space of the same name created by @TecDevices, where users were invited to sing the likes of Sean Paul’s Temperature in their native tone, Jacob decided to make his own version. In a matter of hours, the room began trending on Twitter under the hashtag #SingYourDialect, gradually drawing in thousands of users before it reached its peak of 50,000.
As the Space scaled, notable figures like Julie Adenuga, Lethal Bizzle, Ethan Payne (Behzinga) and Big Zuu took part to sing snippets from their favourite songs, with the former two giving a rendition of Adele’s Hello and Oasis classic Wonderwall. Public figures including former US President Barack Obama, footballer Declan Rice, ex-UKIP leader Nigel Farage and KSI sat back as they tuned in to the festivities along with the accounts of JD, Newcastle United and Domino’s.
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Yet it didn’t stop there. In response to #SingYourDialect turning its focus on “verified Twitter users”, Black Twitter users @jameelajoie and @YBAANKS went on to create an alternative, titled #NoBlueTickNeeded, for average users who wanted a chance to join in on the fun. Also attracting thousands of listeners, the room began trending in the UK at number two after #SingYourDialect.
It’s no surprise it took a successful turn. Following Clubhouse’s abrupt demise, Twitter Spaces has slowly become the hub for live audio. Among the gaming community, which has attracted some of the biggest Spaces, K-pop fans have been using the live audio feature to interact with their favourite artists. Thai rapper and former member of Korean boyband Got7 BamBam, broke a Spaces record earlier in June when hosting one of the biggest K-pop stan rooms on the app, with over 43,000 listeners.
As we’ve learnt from Clubhouse, live audio works well for both its direct connection between supporters and notable figures as well its ability to produce live, spontaneous and innovative moments. With Twitter already a place, which naturally creates and encourages spontaneous moments, it’s no surprise Jacob excelled into viral stardom with only a few hundred followers. His Space invited people all over the world to engage via audio, tweets and listening in, all for some lighthearted fun on a drab Monday evening. Now, with over 50,000 followers on Twitter, a shoutout from Spaces and an invite to the Grammys, Jacob hopes to replicate similar success this evening. Will he strike gold twice? Tune in tonight to find out.
By Jennifer Adetoro, deputy editor at CORQ. Picture credit: Unsplash
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