Bathtub Music – part 1 went viral on TikTok over the weekend. This 20 second clip of me drumming in a bathtub now has over 4.5 million views and 19,000 hours (over 2 years!) of watch time. It even made its way in front of FINNEAS (Billie Eilish’s brother/co-writer/producer) who commented that it was “Outrageous”.
@brendanfaegre Bathroom Music – part 1 🥁🛁 #drums #beats #musiciansoftiktok #drummersoftiktok #drumhack #domesticbeats #funny #foryou ♬ Bathtub music 1 – Brendan Faegre
The ways in which this video resonated with others around the globe was surprising and inspiring:
– Kyiv was the city where Bathtub Music had the most plays. There were dozens of comments from Ukrainians joking that drumming in a bathtub is what happens when the air raid sirens stay on too long, or you have no water for weeks, or the internet is shut off. It was heartening to know this video provided comic relief for some folks in war-torn Ukraine.
– Many people shared personal stories where I represented the archetypal loud neighbor, absent boyfriend, unemployed friend, person who stays too long in the bathroom, or someone under covid lockdown.
– People heard musical associations from across the spectrum: The Real Slim Shady, Cell Block Tango, Aphex Twin, Björk, soundtracks from Vikings, Come Dine With Me, My Singing Monsters, and Grand Theft Auto. The first musical influences people shared were a shockingly accurate list of my most-listened-to artists as a teenager.
– There were over 100 remixes, where people added their own layers on top of my bathtub beat. Some of them had incredibly solid lyrics and performances, like the remix by Amanda Joy and the remix by Iván Fergón.
The biggest takeaway for me was the often-stated principle: by creating art that leaves many questions unanswered, you invite the audience to find their own deeply meaningful interpretation.
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