Down With Webster's YouTube views soar 500% after Mark Carney's dancing goes viral
The band's songs were used during Carney's campaign and victory celebration
Toronto rap-pop-rock band Down With Webster received a major boost after Prime Minister Mark Carney's win on April 28, with the group's YouTube daily view count increasing by more than 500 per cent after Carney danced to their 2010 song Whoa Is Me.
The group's daily YouTube viewer count was 5,949 on April 27 and by April 28, when they performed at the Liberal party's victory party, the daily count had soared to 35,816 viewers, according to data from Soundcharts.
Several YouTube users took to the comment section for Whoa Is Me to share that the newly elected prime minister is who prompted them to check out the band.
"Canadian here. I've never heard of this song before. I like it (A LOT)," wrote @joananne7802. "I saw a clip of our new Prime Minister rocking out to this, so that is how I landed here."
"Thanks Carney for leading me to a new good song I never knew before," commented @JessicaD.
After going viral while wearing a piece of the band's merch, a red hoodie with its logo, the band shared that they were making it available on its website.
"Due to popular demand, we're making our 'Team Canada Jersey' available in the web store," they wrote. "It doesn't matter what party you choose, as long as you choose to party!"
Carney also played the band's song Time To Win at his rallies, and Down With Webster posted about his use of the track on Instagram on March 9, writing, "Great campaign song choice. Also throwing up the W like an absolute legend."
In the comments section for Time To Win, several users also shared that they listened to that song because of Carney.
"Who's here after Mark Carney won the election & saw him busting it down to this song?" commented @bapeater.
"This being the current Canadian PM's fav [sic] song was unexpected but cool af," commented @Hooy-H00y.
The band's bassist, Tyler Armes, shared on CBC's Commotion that Carney has been a big fan of Down With Webster for years.
"I know that over a decade ago when we were first starting to tour, I remember reading press that somebody in politics was a big fan…. So apparently he came to see a show and was watching the opening band, and wanted to know what all the commotion was about and why they were all sticking around for whoever was on after, and that was us," he told Commotion host Elamin Abdelmahmoud.
"So the way that I know that he's a die-hard fan is because the correspondence we had prior to showing up, the list of songs they wanted us to play, there were some deep cuts on there," he continued. "And it was clear that he was super involved in that process."
Armes added that he was "super impressed with his timing and his delivery" after Carney rapped to them backstage.
"I want to know what else he listens to because if you like our band, you like a lot of music, because our band is such a mashup of so many genres," he said.
