OK, we might be a bit slow on social media phenomena but we’re onto this one now.
A previously unknown Australian female comedy trio, SketchShe, is the latest YouTube phenomenon. Their original YouTube video, ‘Bohemian Carsody’ and the follow-up, ‘Mime Through Time’, have now garnered a staggering 260 million views across several social media platforms, leading to fame and probably fortune for the three young women starting off their post-modelling comedy careers.
It’s a fairly simple formula for the three Sydney women, Shae-Lee Shackleford, 28, Lana Kington, 25 and Madison Lloyd, 27. Using their mobile phones – and with a bit of rehearsing the moves – they have become lip-sync divas who have inspired multiple copy-cat videos by others…. Including the ABC’s Radio National Breakfast program presented by Fran Kelly. [ Their fabulous comedy lip-sync YouTube video featuring the 1981 hit song, Video Killed the Radio Star has ‘gone off’ itself today.]
Their YouTube success has got the trio lots of gigs, including an appearance on the US variety show with Ellen Degeneres and Australia’s Sunrise program, to name but two.
It puts us in mind of the lip-sync video that the Diana Isaac retirement village produced last year and which we featured in our very first issue. Sure, that was professionally produced but the SketchShe and ABC RN videos show that there is a lot of easy potential in the common garden variety smartphone and a modicum of enthusiasm!
Maybe we can do our own lip-sync videos! Think about that. And meanwhile, enjoy!