“Think you can stop what we do? I doubt it,” begins the viral rap song “The Spark,” performed by a group of Irish children.
The upbeat track features wholesome lyrics with children taking turns rapping and dancing. Online users have praised it as an infectious tune perfect for summer.
“The response has been amazing,” Garry McCarthy, the producer, told The Guardian. “The kids’ energy and positivity have inspired people. It’s a really catchy song.”
Why was ‘The Spark’ made?
“The Spark” was released in conjunction with the Irish summer festival Cruinniú na nÓg, which is “a day of free creativity for children and young people,” according to the festival’s website.
The X post featuring the video stated, “Cruinniú na nÓg, Europe’s only national free day of creativity for young people, is back with over 1,000 free activities taking place on Saturday, June 15.”
Per The Guardian, it was produced by Kabin Crew & Lisdoonvarna Crew, part of the nonprofit music organization Kabin Studio. The song was created in collaboration with Creative Ireland, the government initiative that funds Cruinniú na nÓg.
The video was shot in a single day with a minimal budget. Despite its viral success, McCarthy emphasized, “We don’t want to make money off it. If it does make money, we want it to support Kabin Studio and kids in direct provision.”
What is ‘The Spark’ about?
As an anthem for Cruinniú na nÓg, the song captures the festival’s spirit of celebrating children’s creativity. This theme is evident in the chorus with the line, “I searched for my spark and I found it.”
McCarthy told The Guardian, “We wanted to work with something upbeat and put on a drum’n’bass track. We found the beat and started coming up with chant and chorus ideas.”
He described how children at an Easter camp in a refugee center in Lisdoonvarna created the first verse and chorus.
Each verse is performed by a different child, discussing overcoming challenges and finding their creative voices. The song is motivational, with lines such as, “If you’re proud of who you are and what you do, shout it.”
How are people responding to ‘The Spark’?
Since the song has been released, it has amassed over 10 million views across various platforms like X and TikTok.
People have been reposting and sharing their reactions to the song. Several videos on TikTok show users doubt whether they will like the song, but then showing themselves enthusiastically dancing along to it.
The children involved in the song have also had the opportunity to appear on RedFM, a radio station in Cork, and perform the song live.