A video featuring a Sam Smith lookalike person trying crowd-surfing at a Vanilla Ice concert in Canyonville, Oregon, has stirred quite a stir.
The person, dressed in a neon green Ninja Turtle outfit, was falsely identified by social media users as singer Sam Smith. However, it turns out this viral crowd-surfing attempt was far from being Sam Smith’s adventurous leap.
Is the video of singer Sam Smith crowd-surfing at a Vanilla Ice concert real or fake as it goes viral on Twitter
The video, showcasing a vibrant individual stage dancing before attempting a failed crowd-surf, spread like wildfire across social media platforms. It received additional momentum when social media influencer Ian Miles Cheong retweeted it on June 22, 2023. Despite the initial confusion and retweets leading to over 10.2 million views, an attached context note cleared the air, stating that the person in the spotlight was not Sam Smith.
Sam Smith, who is "body positive" and uses "they/them" pronouns, tries crowd surfing. It goes about as well as you'd expect. pic.twitter.com/Cf0sRAIooh
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) June 21, 2023
The truth about Smith surfaced through a TikTok video posted by @jennifersandersmu1 on June 21, 2023, offering a different perspective of the same event. The clip clarified that the man grooving at the Vanilla Ice concert, dressed in the neon green Ninja Turtle outfit, was someone other than Sam Smith.
How did news go viral?
The story got even more interesting when a Twitter user named @SmithCharts, who called himself the “official source of all things Sam Smith,” shared another video that shed more light on the situation. By showing the full face of the man in question, this post proved beyond a doubt that it was not the famous singer.
The origin of the viral content traces back to a TikTok video posted by @brandonlatham5 on June 19, 2023, which amassed over 7.1 million views and 550,000 likes. The caption ironically read, “SAM SMITH STAGE DIVING IN SEATTLE.”
Sam Smith’s Recent Musical Journey
In the midst of this viral video misidentification, the actual Smith has been grappling with their own set of challenges. The “Vulgar” singer faced disappointment in May 2023 when they had to call off a concert at AO Arena in Manchester due to vocal issues.
Smith, who had been battling a virus prior to the concert, noticed an unsettling change in their voice during their performance. Despite attempts to rectify the situation, the condition worsened, leading to the inevitable cancellation.
Sam Smith gives apology
Feeling “heartbroken” for being unable to finish the performance, Smith issued an apology to fans through an Instagram story. Following the unfortunate incident, Smith updated fans about their improving condition on June 3, 2023. Assuring everyone that their vocal cords were healing, the “Unholy” singer expressed gratitude for fans’ support during the challenging time.
While the internet buzzed with a viral misidentified crowd-surfing video, the real Sam Smith continues to persevere and engage with their fans sincerely and authentically.
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