Some fans jokingly compare the tune’s popularity to Taylor Swift’s latest album.“There is a tendency to repost and participate in viral behavior without truly realizing what you’re participating in,” noted Connor Blakley, founder of Youth Logic, a Gen Z-focused marketing agency.“Gen Z will do pretty much anything to feel important by getting more views.” The “Friendly Father” music video has been banned from airing on South Korean television but aired on a Japanese news segment.‘Trained to memorize’Communist countries have long wielded music as a propaganda tool, with China and the Soviet Union blasting upbeat patriotic tunes during the Cold War.
One aspect of the ditty, “Friendly Father,” made Daniels uneasy: It is propaganda from North Korea, the communist country led by brutal strongman Kim Jong Un.“He’s like this dictator,” Daniels said.“But man, this catchy song is actually kind of good.” His video, now viewed more than 19,000 times, carried a disclaimer that he didn’t support the Kim regime in any way.
It has rich orchestral sounding sequences, a lead female vocalist backed up by other singers and an energetic beat that evokes ABBA, said Moody.“The only difference is the content of the song,” Moody said.“It is almost as if North Korea is appropriating the pop culture of the outside world for its own purposes.” When Blue Raver Chavez, a 17-year-old living in the Philippines, first heard the song, he was reminded of a 1990s Japanese anime tune.“This song is a banger,” he wrote on TikTok, the Chinese-owned app used by 170 million Americans.
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