TikTok

TikTok Star Behind ‘Wellerman' Sea Shanty Craze Quits Job as Mailman

"Oh my God, I was a postman on Friday. I have just signed to the biggest record label in the world," Evans told fans on TikTok

Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images

With his renditions of centuries-old sea shanties, Nathan Evans has spawned a global craze on the ultra-modern social media platform TikTok, NBC News reports.

Millions have watched his rendition of "Wellerman" and other songs he uploaded to the app, and they have proved so popular that Evans, 26, has been able to quit his job as a mailman after signing a record deal with a major music label, Polydor Records.

"Sea shanties were made to get people to join in, sing along, stamp their feet, clap their hands, keep the morale high," Evans told NBC News last week, adding that they had helped to unify people isolated by the coronavirus pandemic.

"I think that in these times when everybody's stuck at home, they're quite down, it's not been the best of times, so I think kind of in a weird way it cheers everybody up. ... It makes everybody feel united," he said.

Read the full story on NBCNews.com

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