Nathan Evans (singer)

Last updated

Nathan Evans
Born (1994-12-19) 19 December 1994 (age 29)
Airdrie, Scotland
Genres
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • keyboards
Years active2020–present
Labels Polydor

Nathan Evans (born 19 December 1994) is a Scottish songwriter from Airdrie, Scotland. Evans first gained fame in 2020 by posting videos of himself singing sea shanties on social media service TikTok. In 2021, he released a cover of the folk song "Wellerman", which peaked at the top of the UK Singles Chart and also charted in several other countries.

Contents

Early and personal life

Before launching his music career, Evans was a postal worker with the Royal Mail, in Airdrie, near Glasgow. [1] [2] He attended Caldervale High School and has a university degree in web design. [3] [4]

In the 2023 BBC Scotland documentary What Next for the Wellerman?, Evans revealed that he was struggling with his mental health and had panic attacks while he was working up to 13 hours a day as a steel erector. [5] [6]

Evans is married with one child, born in April 2023. [7] [8]

Music career

Evans had been posting performances of pop and folk songs to TikTok before beginning to post sea shanties. [9] He posted his first traditional sea shanty, "Leave Her Johnny", to TikTok in July 2020. [10] In the following months, viewers of his videos continued to request more sea shanties. Evans subsequently posted videos of himself singing "The Scotsman" and New Zealand folk song about whaling "Wellerman" in December 2020. [1] [11]

"Wellerman", which was already well known on the app due to the popularity of his version of the song, quickly gained views on TikTok, inspiring many others to duet and to remix the song, including renditions by composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, comedians Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert, [12] guitarist Brian May, and entrepreneur Elon Musk. [9] [11] [13] [14] As of January 2021, "Wellerman" had eight million views on TikTok and as of 29 May, Evans had 1.3 million followers. [15] [16] The sea shanties trend on the app has been called "ShantyTok". [17] In the Rolling Stone article discussing his success, Evans cited The Albany Shantymen version of the song as inspiration. [18]

In January 2021, Evans signed a three-single recording contract with Polydor Records, releasing his official version of "Wellerman" on 22 January 2021. [3] A dance remix of the song created with producers 220 Kid and duo Billen Ted was released simultaneously. [19] His growing music career led him to quit his job as a postal worker. [17] In February 2021, he signed to United Talent Agency. [20] In May 2021, Evans played his first live show. The performance took place in London aboard an electric GoBoat in the River Thames as a promotion for GoBoat's new location at Canary Wharf. [21]

Writing about the nature of Evans's success during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, Amanda Petrusich wrote in The New Yorker : "It seems possible that after nearly a year of solitude and collective self-banishment, and of crushing restrictions on travel and adventure, the shantey might be providing a brief glimpse into a different, more exciting way of life, a world of sea air and pirates and grog." [11]

Evans's second single, "Told You So", was released on 25 June 2021. Like with "Wellerman", two versions were released: a folk-pop version and a dance-pop remix by Digital Farm Animals. [22] Evans released his third single, "Ring Ding (A Scotsman's Story)", on 8 October 2021. [23]

In April 2022, Evans helped publicise the Doctor Who story "Legend of the Sea Devils" with an adaptation of "Wellerman". [24]

Evans planned to release a five-song EP of sea shanties in 2021. [25] However, in November 2022, Evans released his first full-length album, titled Wellerman – The Album, which is largely a collection of sea shanties, including his viral 2021 cover of "Wellerman" and its dance remix. The album also includes Evans's original composition "Haul Away". [26]

In 2022 he was featured on the single "Santiano" by the German band of the same name.

Music style

Evans often uses multiple tracks of his own voice. He accompanies himself with guitar and percussion. He sings in a baritone. [11]

Other work

In January 2022, Evans appeared as himself in the fourth episode of the seventh series of the BBC Scotland mockumentary series Scot Squad . In November 2022, he appeared as a racer at the World Wok Racing Championship, televised in Germany as a special episode of TV Total , representing Scotland.

Evans makes a cameo as a non-player character in the 2023 Bethesda video game Starfield. [27]

Publications

In May 2021, it was announced that Evans will be publishing a collection of Sea Shanties titled The Book of Sea Shanties: Wellerman and Other Songs from the Seven Seas. The book was published on 14 October 2021 by Welbeck. It contains over 35 classic shanties and the stories around them, as well as new original shanties by Evans. [28]

Discography

Albums

TitleDetailsPeak chart positions
GER
[29] 		SWI
[30]
Wellerman – The Album1230
1994
  • Released: 20 September 2024
  • Label: Electrola, Universal Music
  • Formats: CD, Digital download, streaming
——

Singles

TitleYearPeak chart positions Certifications Album
UK
[31] 		AUS
[32] 		AUT
[33] 		BEL
(FL)
[34] 		GER
[29] 		IRL
[35] 		NLD
[36] 		NOR
[37] 		SWE
[38] 		SWI
[30]
"All I Want" / "Riptide" / "Leave Her Johnny" [upper-alpha 1] 2020——————————Non-album singles
"Memories"——————————
"YOU."——————————
"Hollywood (Acoustic)"——————————
"Wellerman (Sea Shanty)"
(solo or 220 Kid x Billen Ted remix)		202116211121191Wellerman – The Album
"Told You So" [22]
(solo or Digital Farm Animals remix)		———23——————Non-album singles
"Ring Ding (A Scotsman's Story)" [46] ——————————
"Merry Christmas Everyone" / "Driving Home for Christmas" / "Auld Lang Syne" [upper-alpha 2] ——————————
"The Last Shanty"2022——————————Wellerman – The Album
"Drunken Sailor"
(solo or Harris & Ford remix)		——————————
"Catch You When You Fall" [47] 2023——————————1994
"Days of Our Lives" [48] ——————————
"Driving to Nowhere"——————————
"Heather on the Hill"202442————30
[49] 		————
"Highland Girl"——————————
"—" denotes a title that did not chart, or was not released in that territory.

Music videos

TitleYear
"Wellerman (Sea Shanty / 220 KID x Billen Ted Remix)"2021
"Wellerman (Sea Shanty)"
"Ring Ding (A Scotsman's Story)"
"Told You So (Digital Farm Animals Remix)"
"Told You So"
"Driving Home for Christmas"
"Merry Christmas Everyone"
"Auld Lang Syne"
"The Last Shanty"2022
"Drunken Sailor"
"The Banks Of Sacramento"

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Nathan Evanss is the name of a three-song single.
  2. ↑ Merry Christmas is the name of a three-song single.

Related Research Articles

In the entertainment industry, sleeper hit refers to a film, television series, music release, video game, or other entertainment product that was unpromising on release but became a surprise success. A sleeper hit may have little promotion or lack a successful launch but gradually develops a fandom following media attention, which in turn increases its public exposure and public interest in the product. As Variety puts it, "A 'sleeper hit' can be defined as the kind of show that catches us by surprise—programs whose popularity grows over time and can ultimately outshine the preordained hits." A sleeper hit often lacks star performers or high production values, but prevails, at times against its own makers' expectations, on the strength of such qualities as narrative, approach, or novelty, as well as market accidents. Sleeper hit films benefit theater owners because the owners keep a larger percentage of money from ticket sales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dreams (Fleetwood Mac song)</span> 1977 single by Fleetwood Mac

"Dreams" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, written by singer Stevie Nicks for the band's eleventh studio album, Rumours (1977). In the United States, "Dreams" was released as the second single from Rumours in March 1977, while in the United Kingdom, the song was released as the third single in June 1977. A stage performance of "Dreams" was used as the promotional music video.

The Weller brothers, Englishmen of Sydney, Australia, and Otago, New Zealand, were the founders of a whaling station on Otago Harbour and New Zealand's most substantial merchant traders in the 1830s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santiano (band)</span> German folk group

Santiano is a German band from the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, whose songs combine rock, Irish folk, sea shanty, and schlager music. The name Santiano is taken from the Hugues Aufray song of the same name. They topped the German album charts multiple times in the 2010s, also ranking high in Austrian and Swiss charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamie Miller (singer)</span> Welsh singer

Jamie Miller is a Welsh singer and musician currently based in Los Angeles. He was featured on The Voice UK in 2017, where he came in third place. In 2020, he signed a record deal with Atlantic Records and has released an EP called Broken Memories in April 2022. He is currently signed under BMG and working on his debut album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gabbie Hanna</span> American Internet personality and musician (born 1991)

Gabrielle Jeannette Hanna is an American internet personality and singer-songwriter. She rose to prominence on the video platforms Vine and YouTube before releasing her debut single, "Out Loud", in 2017. Her debut extended play, 2WayMirror, was released on May 31, 2019, and her second EP, Bad Karma, was released on May 15, 2020. Her debut album, Trauma Queen, was released on July 22, 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charli D'Amelio</span> American social media personality (born 2004)

Charli Grace D'Amelio is an American social media personality. She was a competitive dancer for over a decade before starting her social media career in 2019, when she began posting dance videos on the video-sharing platform TikTok. She quickly amassed a large following and subsequently became the most-followed creator on the platform in March 2020 until she was surpassed by Khaby Lame in June 2022. With over 151 million followers, she is the second-most-followed-person on TikTok, as of 2024.

Cole Chase Hudson, known professionally as Huddy, is an American singer, actor, and social media personality, known for co-founding the TikTok collective the Hype House, and popularizing the e-boy fashion style and subculture. A 2020 article in Billboard Magazine rated him as one of the top 10 music influencers on TikTok that year, with over 30 million followers, and one of the most influential people on the platform. He has also been cited by Paper as an important figure in the 2020s pop punk revival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bella Poarch</span> American singer and social media personality (born 1997)

Denarie Bautista Taylor, known professionally as Bella Poarch, is an American social media personality and singer. On August 17, 2020, she created the most liked video on TikTok, in which she lip syncs to the song "M to the B" by British rapper Millie B. She is the most followed TikTok contributor from the Philippines. In May 2021, she released her debut single "Build a Bitch".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malinda Kathleen Reese</span> American internet personality, singer-songwriter and stage actress (born 1994)

Malinda Kathleen Reese is an American internet personality, singer-songwriter and stage actress. She is best known for her Irish music covers on Tiktok, as well as Twisted Translations on YouTube, in which she previously created songs and performances from song lyrics and other texts that have been translated through multiple languages and back into English using Google Translate; in that guise, she has over one million subscribers. Currently, she releases original music and vlogs on her main channel, MALINDA. Her debut is a 2018 EP, Love Letter. In addition, she has performed in numerous theatre plays in the Washington, D.C., area, including playing Girl in the musical Once, for which she won a Helen Hayes Award in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Longest Johns</span> British folk music group

The Longest Johns are an English folk musical group from Bristol, England, consisting of Andy Yates, Jonathan "JD" Darley, and Robbie Sattin. They are known for performing folk music and sea shanties in the English tradition, and they also compose and record their own music. They gained popularity from their rendition of the folk song "Wellerman", which went viral on TikTok in early 2021.

"Soon May the Wellerman Come", also known as "Wellerman" or "The Wellerman", is a folk song in ballad style first published in New Zealand in the 1970s. The song refers to the "wellermen", pointing to supply ships owned by the Weller brothers, who were amongst the earliest European settlers of Otago.

Sharlee Jade "Shaylee" Curnow, known professionally as Peach PRC, is an Australian pop singer, songwriter, and social media personality. Her major label debut single "Josh" was released in early 2021, which peaked at number 38 on the ARIA Singles Chart. Peach is a prominent figure on the social media platform TikTok, where she posts content about her life, living with borderline personality disorder, self-care advice, drug and alcohol abuse, and her music.

Billen Ted is a British record production and songwriting duo based in London, consisting of Tom Hollings and Sam Brennan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Albany Shantymen</span> Western Australian vocal group

The Albany Shantymen are an Australian vocal group from Albany, Western Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lizzy McAlpine</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1999)

Elizabeth Catherine McAlpine is an American singer-songwriter. Born and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia, McAlpine began gaining recognition by posting original songs and covers on the platforms SoundCloud and YouTube.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Told You So (Nathan Evans song)</span> 2021 song by Nathan Evans and Digital Farm Animals

"Told You So" is a song by British singer Nathan Evans. Following on from "Wellerman", two versions of the song, including a remix by British songwriter and producer Digital Farm Animals, were released for digital download and streaming by Polydor and UMG on 25 June 2021, alongside accompanying music videos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PinkPantheress</span> British singer and record producer (born 2001)

Victoria Beverley Walker, known professionally as PinkPantheress, is an English singer and record producer. Her songs, which are frequently short in length and include samples of music from the 1990s and 2000s, span a number of genres, including bedroom pop, drum and bass, alt-pop, and 2-step garage.

Jacob Dodge Lawson, known professionally as Jvke, is an American singer-songwriter, producer, and social media personality. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, he started creating TikTok videos for his songs, one of which, "Upside Down", went viral in 2021 with it being used in over 14 million TikTok videos. His debut album, This Is What ____ Feels Like (2022), peaked at number 40 on the Billboard 200, while the song "Golden Hour" peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Anna Mae Kelly, known professionally as Mae Stephens, is an English singer and songwriter. She peaked at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart in 2023 with her single "If We Ever Broke Up", which initially gained popularity after being teased on Mae Stephens' TikTok account.

References

  1. 1 2 "The Scottish postman behind 'Sea Shanty TikTok'". BBC News. 14 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  2. ↑ Carson, Erin. "Avast ye matey! Sea shanties are taking over TikTok. Here's why". CNET. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  3. 1 2 Browne, David (26 January 2021). "Sea Shanty Sensation Nathan Evans: 'I'm an Actual Musician'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  4. ↑ Cuttle, Jade. "Nathan Evans, the Wellerman singer and TikTok sea shanty star: 'I'm still living on my postie's wage'". The Times . ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  5. ↑ "Nathan Evans: I suffered panic attacks before Wellerman". BBC. 6 July 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  6. ↑ Dick, Sandra (2 July 2023). "TikTok sea shanty star Nathan Evans on new TV documentary". The Herald . Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  7. ↑ Browne, David (26 January 2021). "Sea Shanty Sensation Nathan Evans: 'I'm an Actual Musician'". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  8. ↑ Hall, Tasha (28 April 2023). "Scots Tik Tok star Nathan Evans gives birth update as he opens up on wife Holly's 'complicated' c-section". Daily Record . Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  9. 1 2 Suliman, Adela; Cobiella, Kelly; Itasaka, Kiko (24 January 2021). "Meet the TikTok star who inspired the 'Wellerman' sea shanty craze". NBC News. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  10. ↑ "The Scottish postman behind 'Sea Shanty TikTok'". BBC. 14 January 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Petrusich, Amanda. "The Delights of Sea-Chantey TikTok". The New Yorker. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  12. ↑ "Watch: Stephen Colbert performs Kiwi sea shanty 'Wellerman'". msn.com. 17 January 2021.
  13. ↑ Malvern, Jack (22 January 2021). "Nathan Evans lands record catch with The Wellerman sea shanty". The Times . ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  14. ↑ Owen, Matt (2 February 2021). "Brian May gets in on the sea shanty action with a sizzling rock guitar cover of the viral TikTok smash". Guitar World. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  15. ↑ Millman, Ethan (22 January 2021). "Sea Shanties Blew Up On TikTok. Now They're Getting Record Deals". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  16. ↑ Ni, Vincent (21 May 2021). "TikTok: six of the video-sharing app's greatest hits". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  17. 1 2 Taylor, Alex (22 January 2021). "Sea shanty: Can viral success make a music career?". BBC News. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  18. ↑ Browne, David (26 January 2021). "Sea Shanty Sensation Nathan Evans: 'I'm an Actual Musician'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  19. ↑ Cuttle, Jade (27 January 2021). "Nathan Evans, the Wellerman singer and TikTok sea shanty star: 'I'm still living on my postie's wage'". The Times. ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  20. ↑ "Sea shanty sensation Nathan Evans signs with UTA". IQ . 10 February 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  21. ↑ McEachern, Megan. "Wellerman on water: Scots Sea Shanty star Nathan Evans plays first live performance on River Thames ahead of Brit Awards". The Sunday Post. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  22. 1 2 Copsey, Rob (23 June 2021). "Nathan Evans' new single Told You So takes his sea shanty sound into big folk-pop: First listen preview". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  23. ↑ Flockhart, Gary; Bryan, Anna (8 October 2021). "Nathan Evans: Scottish sea shanty and TikTok sensation behind Wellerman releases new single – watch video here". The Scotsman . Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  24. ↑ "Nathan Evans – Wellerman (Sea Devils Version)". Doctor Who YouTube channel. 13 April 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  25. ↑ Reilly, Nick (22 January 2021). "Sea Shanty TikTok star Nathan Evans lands Polydor Records deal". NME. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  26. ↑ "Listen to 'Wellerman' by Nathan Evans". Notion. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  27. ↑ "Starfield (Video Game 2023)". IMDb. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  28. ↑ Parr, Freya (1 June 2021). "Sea shanty TikTok star Nathan Evans to release The Book of Sea Shanties". Classical Music. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  29. 1 2 "Discographie von Nathan Evans" (in German). GfK Entertainment . Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  30. 1 2 "Discographie Nathan Evans". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  31. ↑ "Nathan Evans / 220 Kid x Billen Ted | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  32. ↑ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 8 March 2021". The ARIA Report. No. 1618. Australian Recording Industry Association. 8 March 2021. p. 4.
  33. ↑ "Discographie Nathan Evans". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  34. ↑ "Discografie Nathan Evans". ultratop.be/nl. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  35. ↑ "Discography Nathan Evans". irish-charts.com. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  36. ↑ "Discografie Nathan Evans". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  37. ↑ "Discography Nathan Evans". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  38. ↑ "Discography Nathan Evans". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  39. ↑ "British certifications – Nathan Evans". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 14 April 2023.Type Nathan Evans in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  40. ↑ "Singles Accreditations Report - March 2024" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  41. ↑ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 2021". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  42. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Nathan Evans)" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie . Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  43. ↑ "Sverigetopplistan – Nathan Evans" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan . Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  44. ↑ "Austrian certifications – Nathan Evans" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  45. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Nathan Evans)". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  46. ↑ "Ring Ding (A Scotsman's Story) – single by Nathan Evans". Apple Music . 8 October 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  47. ↑ "It's Fridaaaay aka RELEASE DAY!!! .. Catch You When You Fall is OUT NOW!!". Twitter. 17 March 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  48. ↑ "Days Of Our Lives by Nathan Evans". Popnable. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  49. ↑ "Top 100 Singles, Week Ending 26 January 2024". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.