It’s only appropriate that a Eurodance parody becomes a hit during the same summer that the Barbie movie dropped, even though they’re unrelated. That is because DJ Crazy’s “Planet of the Bass” has a strong similarity to the ’90s hit Barbie Girl by Aqua in spirit. But just what is this song that is currently sweeping TikTok, X (Twitter), and Instagram?
This isn’t the first time a song that made people laugh has been poised to dominate the music charts after first gaining popularity on TikTok, either. Back in 2019, Lil Nas X pulled a similar hat trick with “Old Town Road,” as Billboard pointed out.
Now, a TikTok creator known for his comedy content is taking a similar path, with his viral hit “Planet of the Bass” set for an official full-length release next week.
What is “Planet of the Bass?”
“Planet of the Bass” is a parody song that was created by comedy TikTok creator Kyle Gordon. The first video Gordon made using the song was titled “Every European Dance Song in the 1990’s” and featured the comedian as his alter-ego DJ Crazy Times, a character he has been perfecting for the past 10 years, according to Today. The video was filmed at the Oculus shopping center in Manhattan.
Gordon is not the only talent behind the song, however. The voice of the lead singer, Ms. Biljana Electronica, is provided by Chrissi Poland. In addition, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon writer Brooks Allison and producer Jamie Siegel also contributed to the song’s creation, according to CNN.
Gordon has released additional videos with more clips from the song, which he has already performed in front of a live audience. One of the funnier aspects of the series is how the character of Billjana is played by a different actress each time. Though the lead singer is voiced by the same person throughout (Poland), she has been played in the videos — lipsyncing the track — by Audrey Trullinger in the first video, and by Mara Olney and Sabrina Brier in subsequent videos. Gordon later explained the frequent recasting is an intentional joke parodying real Eurodance bands constantly changing their lead singers.
The song has gained popularity from the humor found in its broken English lyrics that convey general messages of world peace and learning to “feel the groove” in a rapidly interconnected world. For example, the particularly funny stanza:
“Life, it never die / Women are my favorite guy / Sex, I’m wanting more / Tell the world, ‘Stop the war'”
The full version of “Planet of the Bass” will be released on Aug. 15 and it is sure to dominate the Billboard charts in a summer surprisingly absent of the typical viral internet hits we’re used to getting from time to time.