Vitas prank goes viral: ‘lousy joke’

Last weekend, an April fool staged by Studium Generale Rotterdam (SG) went viral. SG’s announcement that famous falsetto and meme legend Vitas would be visiting campus was viewed by over 86,000 people and reached 130,000 Facebook users.

Studium Generale said Vitas would be performing at the Erasmus Pavilion as part of a low-profile European concert tour. However, anyone who clicked on the ticket sales link was forwarded to an Instagram picture with the caption ‘Gotcha! Happy April Fools’ Day’.

Vitas is a Russian singer known for his 2001 music video ‘The 7th Element’, which went viral in 2015. In it, the silver-jumpsuited entertainer makes a variety of weird expressions and body movements while showcasing his impressive range. His performance has inspired a host of animated gifs and memes.

‘Cruelest April Fools’

The prank may have scored over 500 likes, but some people were less enthusiastic. “We received an email telling us it was a ‘lousy joke’, while someone on Facebook said it was the ‘cruellest April Fools’ she had ever encountered,” says Studium Generale’s Rose Korver.

“The underlying idea was that it would generate more traffic for our page. Well, it did,” says a smiling Korver. So is SG considering really inviting Vitas after this viral success? “Yes, that’s definitely something you start thinking about. We’ve discussed it, but for the time being I have to say no. Unfortunately.”