While we are still none the wiser as to what foxes actually say, it turns out the duo behind one of the most unlikely hit songs of the 2010s have been up to quite a bit since their tune went viral.
Cast your minds back to 2013, when the top trending video of the year became an electronic EDM track about um, a fox, released by Norwegian comedy duo Yvlis, aka brothers Vegard and Bård Ylvisåker.
‘The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)’ was an unexpected banger, particularly among schoolkids glued to YouTube – where it has now had more than a billion views.
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The song began by listing a number of well-known animal sounds - “Dog goes ‘woof!’ / Cat goes ‘meow!’ / Bird goes ‘tweet’ / And mouse goes ‘squeak!’ - before ultimately landing at the fox.
“But there’s one sound / That no one knows / What does the fox say?” Ylvis posed, before launching into nonsensical suggestions like ‘Ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding'.
According to their website, Bård and Vegard Ylvisåker grew up in Bergen and Africa and their passion for music was sparked when they took part in choir and theatre at school.
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As they grew older, the pair gradually rose to prominence within the Norwegian entertainment industry, premiering their very own TV series Norges herligste (Norway's Most Wonderful) in 2007 before launching their talk show I kveld med Ylvis (Tonight with Ylvis) in 2011.
It was for this talk show that they created ‘The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)’, posting the song on YouTube in September 2013.
As we know, it soon went viral – going on to top the Norwegian Singles Chart and peak at number six on the US’ Billboard Hot 100 for three consecutive weeks.
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In 2014, the brothers released the single ‘I Will Never be a Star’ on iTunes, which featured vocals from younger brother Bjarte Ylvisåker - who sang about living in the shadow of his two siblings’ success.
And it didn’t do badly, either, as the song won Best Artist Performance Award at the Nordic Music Video Awards the following year.
Ylvis also received another nomination in 2015 – this time a Berlin Music Video Award for Best Animation for their music video ‘Ytterst på tissen (On the Tip of the Willy)'.
In November 2014, they released their first album, Ylvis: Volume I, which served as a collection of their popular hits on YouTube.
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Fast forward to February 2018, when the brothers released a documentary series, Stories from Norway, that took headline stories from Norway and turned them into short musical documentaries.
The following year, the pair appeared on season one of Kongen Befaler - the Norwegian version of Taskmaster – where Vegard was crowned the overall winner.
After a brief, but sadly misplaced, rumour that they Ylvis were behind Subwoolfer – the winning contestants of the Melodi Grand Prix 2022, who went on to represent Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest – in May it was announced that the brothers would be creating content for VGTV, with program manager Martin Jøndahl saying in a press release that the company was looking forward to working with ‘two of the most fun and smart’ creators in the industry.
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In a statement translated to English, Bård said: “We think it was cool to follow all that VGTV has had in recent years, and when they got in touch we couldn’t say no.
"It’s a place that has a short way out of the production idea and is very inspiring to work with. We’re really looking forward to getting off to a serious start.”
Meanwhile, in autumn this year, eldest brother Vegard also featured in Norway's latest instalment of 71 Degrees North - Norway's Toughest Celebrity, eventually beating finalists ice skater Ida Njåtun and wrestler Fritz Aanes to be named winner.
In an Instagram post, Vegard described the show as the ‘most exhausting experience’ he has had since being in the military 23 years ago.
He added: "I am humbled and full of respect for so many things; this insane production that I have been part of, all the people who perform superhumanly to carry it out, all of Norway and not least Svalbard with the sick nature that we have had as a backdrop, all the contestants who have have become my BFFs for life - and not least my two monster opponents @idanjatun and @fritzaanes.”
Topics: Music, Entertainment, Viral
Jess Hardiman