Georgina NoackThese are trying times, and we all need a little joy amid the coronavirus pandemic – and if we have to get it from pranking Katy Perry and Madonna, I’ll take it.
The two singers (as well as Cheryl Cole) have been tricked into believing quarantined Italians are singing their songs from their balconies. But the videos in question are dubbed.
Italians are under strict lockdown, but apartment residents aren’t letting that get stop them from breakingitdown in song and dance from their balconies.
Italians in lockdown all over Italy are keeping each other company by singing, dancing and playing music from the balconies. A thread to celebrate the resilience of ordinary people. This is Salerno: pic.twitter.com/3aOchqdEpn
— Leonardo Carella (@leonardocarella) March 13, 2020
Can’t beat a Friday night out in Palermo! DJ on the balcony 😅 pic.twitter.com/xCnf28GQCg
— Roberto (@rob_7_21) March 14, 2020
Italy today 13.03.2020 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/m1pr8GXBgS
— Oliver (@SOliver2020) March 13, 2020
I vibe with the woman hanging out the window.
Videos are being shared all over social media, prompting communities in Spain and Sweden to follow suit.
It was inevitable that they would be meme-ified, and dubbed with life recordings of their fave artists. But who would’ve thought Katy Perry and Madonna would be the first victims of the hoax.
Katy Perry was the first to go, when she shared a dubbed video of Leonardo Carella’s original – but this time, the community were ‘singing’ her hit ‘Roar’. She retweeted the video, saying, “You cannot break the human spirit. We are one in this.”
You cannot break the human spirit. We are one in this. ♥️🇮🇹 https://t.co/XOa0rTVNwB
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) March 14, 2020
Madonna fell next, sharing a fake clip of balcony-dancers grooving to her 2019 single ‘I Rise’. She tweeted: “Let Us All RISE UP. everywhere around the world!!”
Let Us All RISE UP. everywhere around the world!! 🌎 🌍 #irise pic.twitter.com/NJv93kWnWs
— Madonna (@Madonna) March 15, 2020
In reality, the Turin residents were dancing to the school dance fave: ‘Macarena’ by Los del Rio
And that wasn’t the end of it, UK singer Cheryl Cole was next. She was led to believe the small Italian village were avid fans of her bop ‘Fight For This Love’ (which, though a banger, is unlikely). The original tweet has since been taken down.
He Went Private But For Those Who Missed The Cheryl Cole Video Here: pic.twitter.com/xyec9ZlK34
— 𝗖𝗮𝗶𝗹ó𝗻 ΛDᄂΣЯ (@CailonAdler) March 15, 2020
i can only strive to have the over confidence of cheryl cole thinking that ‘fight for this love’ is internationally recognized enough for a little Italian village to be singing it from their balconies
— sarah jackson (@sarahellenjack) March 15, 2020
Stan Twitter was quick to let their faves know about the fake news, but it seems that the message hasn’t got through just yet.
At the minute, Katy Perry, Madonna, and Cheryl Cole are the only know stars to have fallen for the fake videos. Though we can only hope there are more to come – and, frankly, we can expect there to be a whole heap more videos (and funnier dubs) to come.
I mean, we all need a little joy in this coronavirus pandemic. And if you find that all the COVID-19 news is hitting your mental health hard, we’ve got all the tips you need to stay positive through this hectic time. We got you, boo.
Image sources: Instagram (@katyperry, @madonna)
