The Brief: Video of TikToker @Evpap performing a cover of Pop Smoke's "Foreigner" became a viral meme on TikTok.
DEEP DIVE
TikToker @Evpap’s cover of Pop Smoke’s “Foreigner” is becoming part of a new TikTok trend where he is depicted as an idol, god, or spirit singing in the sky.
Evan Papier, @Evpap on TikTok, is known for performing covers of various hit tracks on his account. His renditions of songs like Harry Styles’ “Watermelon Sugar” has earned him over 298,000 followers. While he’s had many videos surpass the million view mark, his rendition of the late Pop Smoke’s “Foreigner” has taken on a life of its own, having surpassed 15 million views and 2.5 million likes, all the while becoming a meme in the process. The comments section revealed viewers’ infatuation with Papier’s ability to recreate an exaggerated breath which is a prominent sound effect in the original track.
@evpap Foreigner as requested by a lot of people #SummerLooks #fyp #foryoupage #foryoupagethis #tiktokartists #indoorlooks #singer
As a result, other creators turned Papier’s video into a meme, using TikTok’s green screen effect to project Papier singing in the sky. Papier’s audio is linked to over 25,000 videos on the app. TikToker @Aababyj’s video made it appear like two individuals were praying to his figure in the sky. The video captioned, “King pop smoke,” received over 722,000 likes and 3.3 million views.
@aababyj King pop smoke🤩 #fyp #foryou #popsmoke #funny #greenscreensky #viral #4thOfJuly
User @seeb27’s video captioned “The concert of a lifetime,” saw Papier performing for his outdoor graduation ceremony. It received over 439,000 likes and 2 million views.
@seeb27 The concert of a lifetime‼️#GreenScreenSky #fyp #foryou #popsmoke #graduation
Some users were unsure of Papier’s pronunciation of “foreigner,” thinking they heard “four a nut,” instead. TikToker Jaime Soliz, who is known for creating edits that playfully poke fun at popular TikTok stars, created a video of himself jamming to Papier singing behind a stand selling nuts. It received over 447,000 likes and 2.2 million likes.
@jaimesoliz The fame has gotten to his head. He’s overcharging me @evpap #foryoupage #fy #foryou #fyp
Soliz also had a popular take about a 4Runner.
@jaimesoliz My mans @evpap vocals be on another level #foryoupage #fy #fyp
Other takes:
@yukcy #GreenScreenSky best present ever 🥜 #popsmoke #foreigner #foreignut #foreignnut #woo #woowednesday #pop @andeeznuts_ @serlinec
@wetards
@junglelast pop smoke spotted in warzone#foryoupage #foryou #fyp #foreigner #foreignut #callofduty