My Phone hasn't stopped ringing, says Somali singer after her song went viral

MOGADISHU, Somalia - A Somali singer has gained fame following her viral TikTok video which has attracted millions of viewership within just a short period of time, in what could significantly change her fortunes in the coming days.

Nimco Happy, who lives in Mogadishu, said she was thrilled with the reception from her supporters across the world, adding that her phone has been busy in the last couple of days following the viral video.

In the last month, millions of people on TikTok fell in love with a song usually played at Somali weddings, popularizing the track so much it landed artist Nimco Happy a distribution deal.

The song is called “Isii Nafta,” which means “give me life,” but it is more widely known by its catchy lyrics “I love you more than my life.”

In an interview with BuzzFeed News, Nimco, who spoke from Mogadishu, said she found out two and a half weeks ago that her song had gone viral after she was tracked down by Polydor Records, a subsidiary of Universal.

“Wallahi, I felt happy, elated,” she said. “I can't describe it in words, but I felt overjoyed. I felt like the world had finally recognized me. That I'm known internationally.”

Cardi B posted a video of herself and her sister dancing to it on Thursday, Drake commented “this song so hard” on a meme page, and Bella Hadid reposted a video of Nimco performing, surrounded by smiling dancing police officers.

This isn’t the first time the five-year-old song has gone viral. Two years ago, it became a hit with people in East Africa, thanks to its hook where Nimco sings “I love you” in four languages: Somali, English, Arabic, and Swahili.

In recent weeks, Nimco has been watching and keeping up with all the TikTok trends that use her song and said she cannot choose a favorite. “I can't pick one. I want to say thank you. I want to thank all of them,” she said.

The happy nature of “Isii Nafta” has united people across the globe, with the song being played at parties, and celebrities like Trever Noah joining in on the fun.

Hibak Iman, 24, based in Melbourne, Australia, told BuzzFeed News that the song’s multilingual part helped it go viral.

“Somalis are just main characters,” Iman said. “We are such a supportive ethnic group of people. We constantly hype each other up, so we were obsessed with the song, and our energy is infectious so other people became obsessed too.”

Nimco loves watching people engage with Somali culture through her song. “I love seeing people sing in our language,” she said. “I have seen all the covers. I have seen the ones by the white boys singing my song. I have seen Asian girls. I have been watching all of them.”

Growing up, Nimco used to listen to mainly Somali women, such as Khadra Dahir, Sahra Axmed, and Zaynab Cige, she said. She first got into music as a child playing guitar and always wanted to perform but waited until she was married with children. Now she sometimes performs with her musician husband.

“When you're young in Somali culture when someone gets into performing music, we tell them to sit down because they're too young,” Nimco said. “We tell them it's Ceeb. We tell them to stop.”

The official version of “Isii Nafta” was made available on streaming platforms this week after Nimco signed with Polydor. BuzzFeed News understands that her team is working on removing unauthorized uploads.

Now Nimco said since the hit went viral, she can’t go out without being recognized, so she makes sure to always have a face covering on that leaves her unidentifiable.

“Wallahi, my phone doesn't rest,” she said. She said people call her simply to congratulate her or to let her know there are different companies looking to get in touch with her. “People are sharing their happiness for me, with me,” she noted.

GAROWE ONLINE