Schoolgirl, 11, from Irish tween rap group who sent the internet into a frenzy with clip they made in a day says she’s shocked by the ‘unreal’ reaction – after fans dubbed it the ‘song of the summer’
A schoolgirl from the Irish tween rapper group who sent the internet into meltdown with their ‘song of the summer’ has said she is ‘in shock’ at the extent to which the song has blown up online.
‘The Spark’ was released earlier this month by Rhyme Island, a rap group made up of thirty nine to twelve year olds from the outskirts of Cork, and has since been viewed at least eight million times.
The group was founded by not-for-profit creative hub Kabin Studio and government initiative Creative Ireland. As well as local artists, the song also features child refugees living in Lisdoonvarna, County Clare.
The schoolchildren’s song has since been featured on social media websites such as TikTok and Instagram, with thousands of people making their own clips to the song and even joking that it should have been Ireland’s Eurovision entry.
Sophia McNamara, 11, performs under the name Miss Sombrero and is one of the children who sang on the track.
She told me Irish independent: ‘So many people are watching it, I’m in shock, my brain goes “wha!” Famous people have commented on it – it was surreal.”
Sophia McNamara, 11 years old, performs under the name Miss Sombrero and is one of the children who sang on the track (photo)
Garry McCarthy, creative director of Kabin Studio, told the outlet, “We knew it was a belter and the video was class. We knew it would get some attention locally or nationally, but we didn’t expect it. This is crazy.’
The two-and-a-half-minute music video, which features children dancing on a bus, running through the streets and dancing in a club, begins with the cheeky lyrics: ‘Do you think you can stop what we’re doing? I doubt it.’
The young artists later rap: ‘We have the energy, we’ll tell you all about it. I looked for my spark and I found it.”
In the video, the kids went to a rave-style setting and wore bucket hats, gold chains and colorful clothing as they sang enthusiastically into the camera.
Sophia said they had a smoke machine and bubbles in the venue, The Pav, which has a huge stage. “We got ice cream in town and it was such a beautiful day,” she said.
Speaking of the clothing choice, the schoolgirl said she had a plain white hat and enjoyed drawing over it with paint markers.
Sophia said they had a smoke machine and bubbles in the venue, The Pav, which has a huge stage
She is seen in the music video rapping the first verse where she says, “Making bangers at a young age, my pen sets the page on fire”
She is seen in the music video rapping the first verse where she says, “Making bangers at a young age, setting my pen on fire, I’m gonna show you how to rock that stage.”
The music video, which was shot in one day, was released ahead of Ireland’s National Day of Children’s Creativity on June 15, but has become a surprise hit on social media.
After the video clip was picked up by local media, it caught the attention of author and Observer columnist Séamas O’Reilly, who shared the video with his 97,000 followers.
He said: ‘Some Irish primary school kids have made a tune and there’s no legitimate reason why it should be so difficult, holy s**t.’
The author’s glowing review has since racked up more than 75,000 likes and led to the video being shown to more than 8 million viewers.
“This should have been Ireland’s Eurovision entry,” one fan replied. Another added: “God damn it, I didn’t think there would ever be a day where I’d want to hear the sound of a bunch of sassy kids screaming injected straight into my veins.”
A third gushed: “Sounds like a Dizzee Rascal song!” Meanwhile, a fourth replied: “I pressed play expecting this to be a joke and just be okay but WHAT THE HELL IS THIS A BANGER?!”
The music video, which was shot in one day, was released ahead of Ireland’s National Children’s Creativity Day on June 15.
Pictured: the Spark music video. In the video, the kids went to a rave-style setting and wore bucket hats, gold chains and colorful clothing as they sang enthusiastically into the camera.
On TikTok, musician The refuge system also called it the ‘song of the summer’.
Speak with The guard, producer Garry McCarthy said: ‘The response has been great. The children’s energy and positivity have inspired people. It’s a very catchy song.’
The producer said the group got the idea for the song in March during one of the studio’s weekly workshops.
He explained how the children then developed the verses and chorus during their Easter camp.
After the video clip was picked up by local media, it caught the attention of author and Observer columnist Séamas O’Reilly, who shared the video with his 97,000 followers.
The author’s glowing review has since racked up more than 75,000 likes and led to the video being shown to more than 8 million viewers.
After this, the Kabin Studio team took the song to the refugee center in Lisdoonvarna, where they finished it with the young artists living there.
The producer revealed that the kids write songs every week at Kabin Studio, but The Spark “happened to go the extra mile.”
Cruinniú na nÓg – which translates as the ‘National Day of Children’s Creativity’ – will host more than 1,000 free events for children and teenagers across Ireland on June 15.