It’s always interesting when a new artist pops out of nowhere and starts turning heads. Who are they? Where’d they come from? What are they all about? With WurtS, those questions are proving short of answers. This singer, songwriter,
video producer, all-round walking wave of creativity and international man of mystery remains completely anonymous. There have been a few clues dropped on Twitter: a university student born in the 21st century, but otherwise, your guess is as good as
anybody’s.
If WurtS came from anywhere, it was the internet. He first caught attention posting snippets of covers and his own original songs on TikTok and YouTube. Who can say whether it was genius guerrilla marketing or just a case of the
stars aligning and social media blasting things into the stratosphere, but WurtS was on his way. A shout-out from Vaundy, another artist who got his start on the internet, certainly didn’t hurt either.
Perhaps WurtS was one of the artists to benefit from the pandemic-induced lockdowns that've wrecked the live music scene but driven music fans online to get their fix. He unleashed a flood of material in 2021, a string of digital
singles, EPs and the album A Office Chair of Capitalism, and being firmly rooted in social media, the accompanying music videos were formatted vertically for viewing on smartphones. The blitz paid off with the unknown crashing into the top ten
of the Line Music and Apple Music alternative charts.
Now WurtS makes his move from the online world to real-life record shops with the release of Once Upon a Revival, his first physical CD. It’s a slight oddity of an album, being as it is a sort of greatest hits as well
as a debut, presumably aimed at the CD-buying public (those folks who actually pay money for music!).
Fittingly, it’s viral hit Wakattanayo that leads off the album, a track that racked up a million views in a month on TikTok, showing nothing more than the chorus. The song‘s energetic indie guitar rock and the drawling, slacker vocals
make up
WurtS' signature sound.
While Magical Soup and Lemon Days follow in the same style, WurtS is something of musical magpie, grabbing shiny things from different genres. BOY MEETS GIRL is a mishmash of rap, EDM and pop, backed
up with a fruity horn section (we’ll even forgive the brief Kenny G moment) and NERVEs has a strong dance music vibe too.
When you’re a hot up-and-comer, other artists are happy to hitch their wagon to your hype train and Ito, guitarist of indie band PEOPLE 1, collaborates on Little Dancer. The track also demonstrates WurtS’
rapid ascent to the mainstream, as it was picked up for the soundtrack to a Toyota Corolla TV ad. Singer-songwriter Nishina joins WurtS for an '80s throwback Christmas single, Santa Girl, complete with twinkly synths
and sleigh bells. It’s pure pop cheese but it embraces the yuletide clichés so warmly, it’s hard not to be won over by its retro charms.
Once Upon a Revival hits most of its marks as an introduction to a new audience. The ‘best of’ approach has resulted in a strong line-up of highlights from WurtS’ meteoric rise in 2021, but eight tracks of previously
released material running to just 25 minutes might seem less than a bargain for a full-priced album.
It’s all happening very quickly for WurtS and the plaudits and awards are rolling in thick and fast. Behind the secret identity of a college student dabbling in music, he clearly has some sharp, commercially savvy people
in his corner. Those collaborations and TV commercial tie-ups don’t just land in your lap after all. The anonymity is a neat gimmick but you can’t help but wonder how much longevity a career can have when the star has to appear wearing a bag on his
head. All the same,
WurtS is off to a flying start.
