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
“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.
Watch this space for updates in the Music News category on Running Wolf’s Rant.
🐺 Support Us: Buy us a coffee, it will help us to bring you more content.
📬 Become part of the Wolf Pack: Subscribe to our newsletter to stay in the loop.
🔍 Explore our site: Scroll down to see related and featured posts. You're also welcome to check out our Music, Screen or Knowledge Hubs. Alternatively, feel free to check out our Popular Articles.
📐 Afrikaanse Mense: Check bietjie ons Afrikaanse Hoekie uit.
🕳️ Go Down The Rabbit Hole: Read Random Facts or Watch a Random Music Video.
📅 Find Something To Do: Check out our Featured Upcoming Events or our SA Gig Guide.
Featured Articles
Looking for a gift for that special person in your life? Check out Netflorist.co.za, South Africa's top online florist and gift service. They offer flowers, gifts, and hampers for all occasions AND reliable nationwide delivery.
