People are enjoying the summer by attending live music.
George Strait just set an attendance record for a ticketed concert with 110,905 people.
And another country music star brought one guest on stage during a concert that left people speechless.
Award-winning country music star Zach Bryan is off to a strong start in his career.
He won a Grammy for the song “I Remember Everything,” and was nominated for the 2023 CMA Newcomer of the Year.
“Hawk Tuah” the latest viral meme
And Bryan turned heads at his most recent concert when he brought Hailey Welch on stage.
Welch became “internet famous” overnight after being dubbed the “Hawk Tuah Girl” in a video that went absurdly viral.
Hawk Tuah – The original interview that started it all pic.twitter.com/QiDfnmXjye
— The Postman (@officalpostman) June 22, 2024
The short clip sent internet sleuths down a rabbit hole to find her, and she resurfaced after a friend of hers reportedly began selling merch and cut her in on the deal.
Idk if Haley Welch, the “Hawk Tuah” girl, was fired or not, but she cashed in more than $65k by doing a deal with a local Tennessee company “Fathead Threads” and selling hats as her merch.
Crazy how internet virality can make some quick buck, and we still call crypto a scam pic.twitter.com/PCF56iBL4k
— Naruto11.eth (@naruto11eth) June 27, 2024
All of that culminated in Welch getting invited on stage during Bryan’s show.
Zach Bryan brought the “Hawk Tuah” girl on Stage last night 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/hXoCoDAruw
— The Patriot Oasis™ (@ThePatriotOasis) June 30, 2024
Welch also conducted an interview with Bryan’s girlfriend, podcaster Brianna LaPaglia.
During the chat on the PlanBri Podcast, Welch confirmed that she has a management team, and has plans to launch a career in new media.
Only in America
To her credit, Welch says she doesn’t want to be known as the “Hawk Tuah Girl” forever, but she is certainly riding the wave.
Jason Poteete, the brand manager for the Hawk Tuah merch, told Rolling Stone, “Of course she hasn’t gotten a dime from the first viral video that went out. . .Nobody was asking permission for her to do nothing, neither. I just wanted her to get some profit off of this deal.”
Rolling Stone added that Poteete “suggested she trademark the phrase, and she has been in touch with a lawyer about it. He also says she is currently represented by an agent, though rumors that she had signed with Hollywood powerhouse UTA turned out to be unfounded.”
“She’s probably one of the most well-known people in the world at this point,” Poteete added. “But I don’t know if she’s embraced it.”
Low culture as popular culture
Not everyone has found Welch’s rise in popularity so amusing.
One commenter responded to her appearance at the Bryan concert, “Millennial culture is vulgarity culture.”
Another said, “We are celebrating the wrong things and the wrong people for the wrong reasons.”
“It says a lot about society how viral this has gone,” another added.
Conservative-leaning commentator Sydney Watson responded, “I mean, good for her, but why do we make people like this famous?”
Kim Kardashian launched a billion-dollar empire based on a sex tape with rapper Ray J.
While Kardashian has not expressed much regret over the incident, Ray J had a different perspective.
During an interview with NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe on his successful Club Shay Shay podcast, Ray J said, “How different would the industry be [if the tape hadn’t come out]? Everything would be different, we would all be different.”
Sharpe asked him if he was embarrassed.
After a long pause, he replied, “Yeah. I have kids in the household. . .Are we a part of the cure or are we a part of the disease?”
Stay tuned to Unmuzzled News for any updates to this ongoing story.
