Nathan Evans: Scottish sea shanty and TikTok sensation behind Wellerman releases new single - watch video here

Nathan Evans, the TikTok sensation, who has released his third single today.Nathan Evans, the TikTok sensation, who has released his third single today.
Nathan Evans, the TikTok sensation, who has released his third single today.
Scottish sea shanty singer Nathan Evans is back with a brand new single – and you can watch the video here.

The eagerly-awaited newbie follows the No.1 successes Wellerman and Told You So, which amassed over six million streams worldwide.

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The 26-year-old from Airdrie has racked up over 1.7 billion streams across all platforms, building a huge TikTok following in particular, with over 1.4m followers.

Speaking about the new single, he said: “I’m so excited to finally share this brand new single with you all.

“Myself and the team have worked hard on it, and I’m delighted to share the video with you too.

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“It was really fun to make and, if anything, I hope it helps anyone who is thinking of going on holiday with someone they just met in a bar… to think twice!”

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As if the whirlwind chart success wasn’t enough, Evans’ first book, The Book of Sea Shanties: Wellerman & Other Songs from the Seven Seas, hits the shelves from October 15.

It’s an incredible rise for one who, before lockdown, worked as a Royal Mail postman in Airdrie, singing in his spare time.

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His first release, Wellerman, was initially posted to TikTok in December 2020.

Evans’ version of the 19th-century maritime song quickly gained views on the app, and even inspired a trend, dubbed ‘ShantyTok’.

When he officially released Wellerman with Polydor, in January 2021, it shot to number one in the UK charts – beating big-name stars Olivia Rodrigo and Ed Sheeran to the top spot.

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A dance remix of the track recorded by 220 Kid and Billen Ted secured the number three spot.

For all his recent success, Evans has not always been a singer of sea shanties. Indeed, when he first joined TikTok, he posted covers of pop and indie songs, taking requests from other users of the app.

Everything changed when, in July 2020, one of his followers asked him to post a clip of him singing a sea shanty – a request that would send his burgeoning career into the stratosphere.

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“I honestly didn’t know much about sea shanties”, he told NBC News. “Now you can call me a fan.”

The rest, as they say, is his story.

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