Evans rose to viral fame earlier this month after posting TikTok videos performing traditional sea shanties -- the type of work song originally sung by sailors on large merchant ships.
Nathan Evans, the Scottish singer and former postman behind TikTok's "sea shanty" craze, has sailed his way to a record deal with Universal's Polydor Records, the U.K.-based label confirmed Friday (Jan. 22).
Evans rose to viral fame earlier this month after posting TikTok videos performing traditional sea shanties, which are a type of folk song originally sung by sailors on large merchant ships. The clips, including his popular rendition of New Zealand whaling ballad "Soon May the Wellerman Come," spurred a TikTok phenomenon whereby users have been creating EDM remixes of sea shanties, performing skits dressed up as sailors and creating sea shanties of their own.
Last week, Jimmy Fallon and The Roots even performed a sea shanty version of Olivia Rodrigo’s smash "Drivers License" on The Tonight Show. Posts tagged with #ShantyTok have now generated 14.9 million total views on the app, while Evans' TikTok account has racked up close to 600,000 followers.