When the average American thinks of a smash hit, the first thing that comes to mind is Miley Cyrus, Beyoncé, or even Taylor Swift. These singers have had millions of hits and achieved fame for their musical diversity. Though they are some of the first stars that come to mind when one thinks of world-wide sensations,  other lesser-known individuals have achieved similar fame. To what do they owe this fame? The world’s first video sharing site – YouTube. YouTube was founded in 2005 by three friends who realized there was no accessible way to share videos. After Chad Hurley, Steven Chen, and Jawed Karim realized there was no way to find videos and  clips online, YouTube was born. For the average user, the possibility of videos is endless.  One of the most surprising elements of YouTube has been the public’s reception of talented new artists. World-renowned stars such as Justin Bieber owe their fame to YouTube, as Bieber was discovered by agents after posting home videos of himself singing. While he may have global fame, he did not create the most popular video on YouTube.  As YouTube has grown more popular, so has the absurdity of the videos.

Parodies and videos of pure nothingness have become overnight sensations, with auto tune and absurdities overruling classics. Entitled children have been able to achieve fame not from talent, but from the ludicrousness of their music. Videos have become famous for the simple reason of being “catchy,” not by showcasing pure talent.

Perhaps the first, and one of the most prominent, examples of this newfound “parody” genre is Rebecca Black’s “Friday.” Ark Music Factory is the company behind this new fad. It is a company in which children with virtually no singing abilities reach internet fame with overly auto tuned—albeit catchy—songs. Rich parents pay Ark Music Factory’s CEO Patrice Wilson a lot of money to create a

career for their children, regardless of the quality of the work. Rebecca Black is the first and most notable example of this practice. Originally posted on YouTube in March 2011, the video immediately became an overnight sensation, but for all the wrong reasons. It appeared all over social media, and was dubbed by celebrities as “the worst video ever made,” as Black’s singing is honestly atrocious. However, the negative feedback did not hinder “Friday’s” popularity, for it received 180 million views in 2011 and was the top video of 2011. Although the video was annoying, most viewers can admit the incessant singing of “Friday” is hard to get out of your head. It was deleted in June 2011 because of disputes between Black and the Ark Music Factory. The video is now on Rebecca Black’s personal channel and has approximately 60 million views.

Now two years later, Patrice Wilson is trying to create yet another one-hit wonder. When twelve year old Alison Gold decided she wanted to become a singer, her parents decided to make her wish come true. Gold’s parents forked over the standard $4,000 fee and Gold was able to live her dream. “Chinese Food” was uploaded on October 14th, and Ark Music Factory’s newest hit “Chinese Food”

became yet another terrible smash hit. The song stars twelve-year old Alison Gold, singing a heavily edited song about her love of Chinese food. It is being heavily criticized for its racist depictions, including “making it rain” with chow mein, and a rapping panda bear. Despite the criticism, “Chinese Food” has received almost 13 million views in three weeks. It has also recently debuted at number 29 on this weeks Billboard Top 100. Despite the plethora of negative criticisms, Ark Music Factory has been able to create overnight sensations based on autotuned, exploited children.

Although the Ark Music Factory is not responsible for this last global sensation, the song is equally terrible—and the result is a smash-hit. Psy, a south Korean musician, released his sixth studio album in July, 2012. Three months later, it became a world-renowned hit. “Gangnam Style” topped the chart in over thirty countries, including Russia, the United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, and even

the United States. It claimed number one on Billboard’s Top 100 for 22 weeks. It is currently the most viewed music video of all time, with 1.8 billion views. In other words, Gangnam Style has been viewed the same amount of times as over a quarter of the world’s population. If a foreign video can become a global and national sensation, then what cannot? A year later, another foreign band overcame the United States and is still growing strong.

“What Does the Fox Say” has become a sensation, amassing over 200 million YouTube hits in a mere two months. The duo Ylvis admitted to purposely creating a bad song; however, their experience is a prime example of the popularity of these bad hits. They admitted their plan backfired, for their song immediately became a smash hit, and this purposeful parody is now being parodied as well.