The Kiffness and Bilal Goregen have gone viral with more than 13 million combined views of “Ievan Polkka”. The obscure Finnish folk song was originally performed by Turk Bilal Goregen and now features a worldwide remix by South Africa’s The Kiffness.
The Kiffness are best known for their string of radio hits in South Africa including “Find A Way”, “Too Blessed to be Stressed” as well as for online parodies and content.
Dave Scott from The Kiffness explains how this unusual hit (“Ievan Polkka”) came about
“When I first saw the video, I thought it was incredibly catchy and I thought it would be a fun song to remix. So I did a short, live looping remix and put it online. The response was great so I DM’d my remix to Bilal on Instagram and asked if he’d be keen to colab. To my surprise, he got back to me right away saying that he liked my rendition. We agreed to a 50 50 split on any revenue the remix would make.”
“So I got to work. I was in Joburg at the time, so I got my bandmate Raiven Hunter to record the saxophone parts & send it to me from Cape Town. Jane from Veranda Panda also recorded the violin and sent it to me from Durban. I had planned an interview with Peach van Pletzen during my time in Joburg for his upcoming talk show, so we killed two birds with one stone and I went to his studio to record my vocals & trumpet.”
“Peach is also an excellent sound engineer so I roped him into mixing & mastering the song. He nailed it! Lastly, I roped in friends to help with the green screen so that I can appear next to Bilal in the video… and the rest is history”.
Check out the video below:
Dave Scott comments on the response to the “Ievan Polkka” video
‘It’s been insane! The video has since made The Turkish news, started charting on Italy’s Shazam Top 200 Chart, and has even reached the classrooms of children in China. We’re now beginning to release the single to radio here in South Africa and I’m looking forward to see the response from fans”
Here’s how viral it went
- 10 million views on Facebook.
- 3 million views on YouTube.
- 3.1 million views on Twitter.
“Ievan Polkka” is definitely making waves worldwide with success in Italy, Turkey, South Africa as well as a surprise pick-up in China.
Dave Scott comments on “Ievan Polkka”
“This song for me, is a true testament to the human spirit: Chinese children vibing to a Finnish folk tune, performed by a Turkish street drummer, made viral by a vibing cat, remixed by a South African & currently charting in Italy. 🇨🇳 🇫🇮 🇹🇷 🇿🇦 🇮🇹. No matter where we are from, I truly believe that we have way more in common than what divides us. A truly global unifier! My wish for 2021 is to give more energy to the things that bring us together.”
I have to admit that “Ievan Polkka” is a pretty vibey tune, but it’s not really my cup of tea. I would probably dance to this when I’m lekker dagdronk though.
More info about The Kiffness
The Kiffness is the stage name of South African musician, producer, and multi-instrumentalist David Scott. Founded in 2011, the project evolved from a live electronic act known for jazzy, uplifting house music into a platform for Scott’s unique brand of viral internet content.
After years of success in the South African music industry – including multiple SAMA nominations and several top 40 radio hits, The Kiffness has pivoted during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Watch this space for updates in the Music News category on Running Wolf’s Rant.
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