What Happened to Ylvis? Fans Fear Viral Singer Is Dead (2024)

Sherie Connelly

After a clip and stills of Norwegian singer Bard (from the duo Ylvis) laying down in a coffin circulated the web, folks wanted to know what happened.

What Happened to Ylvis? Fans Fear Viral Singer Is Dead (1)What Happened to Ylvis? Fans Fear Viral Singer Is Dead (2)

The Gist

  • Rumors circulated online in November 2023 that Bård Ylvisåker from the duo Ylvis — of "The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)" viral fame — passed away.
  • Folks who saw a VGTV televised "funeral" for the singer, which shows him laying down in a casket, led many to believe he was dead.
  • Singer Maria Mena led a choir in a slowed-down and sad performance of the viral hit track.
  • Bård is not dead, however, and the video was just indeed a staged performance.

Article continues below advertisement

The phenomenon of viral one-hit wonders from artists who seemingly come out of nowhere and gain massive popularity on the internet are an interesting phenomenon: for a few weeks (or months, even), these tracks are seemingly everywhere. About a year or two later, playing the track at a party seems like an insult, until the appropriate "throwback" threshold has been reached.

Ylvis (a comedy duo composed of brothers Bård and Vegard Ylvisåker) is one such artist, but fans became worried in November 2023 that Bård may've passed away. But what really happened? And what has Ylvis been up to in the years since their hit 2013 track?

What happened to Ylvis?

Article continues below advertisement

What Happened to Ylvis? Fans Fear Viral Singer Is Dead (3)

Article continues below advertisement

And while neither Mena or any of the other singers ever once cracks a smile throughout the performance, the same can't be said for the folks who were in attendance for the artist's funeral.

Which probably means one of the following:

  • (A) A few people at the funeral who were happy to see the singer dead
  • (B) A testament to how much of a bop "The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?) is
  • (C) Norwegians either have strange funeral customs or a sick sense of humor
  • (D) The funeral was staged, Bård is still alive, and the video was a bit of dark humor in action

Article continues below advertisement

Of course one could add to the final aforementioned multiple choice selection that Ylvis could be making a wider statement on the life cycle of viral one-hit wonder tracks in general.

Article continues below advertisement

Bård is indeed still among the living; after the performance, he even stood up, exited the coffin, and conducted an interview afterward.

While it's difficult to imagine that anyone would see the video and so many of the laughing folks watching and recording the performance, and think that Bård legitimately died, there are some images that could've been lifted from the video that would lead folks to think he actually passed away.

And it wouldn't be just pictures of him in his coffin that could convince folks he died; Marina Mena shared some photos in a multi-picture Instagram upload that shows just how far the video production went to replicate the look and feel of a legitimate funeral.

Article continues below advertisement

In her post, she features a snapshot of a memoriam pamphlet showing Bård's face along with his birth and fake death year and in another photo she's holding up the same exact image on a funeral portrait style painting.

Again, however, the jovial nature of the other pictures in the post don't exactly scream "rest in peace."

What is Ylvis of "What Does the Fox Say" fame doing now?

After their 2013 mega-hit, the brothers continued to put out music, releasing their first album in 2014. They also continued to appear on Norwegian TV (where they first grew to fame) and even released a documentary series in 2018 that took stories from Norwegian news and turned them into musicals. And in 2022, they began making content for VGTV.

Article continues below advertisement

The guys also post a slew of funny social media posts, interspersed with clips of musical performances, and even some extended love for the track that was a global phenomenon. A great example would be the somber instrumental version of "The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)" set to this brilliant clip of a lost McDonald's cheeseburger's globe-trotting journey back home to their McFamily.

So while yes, viral songs, just like many popular songs, can certainly become annoying after a while, Ylvis seems to be demonstrating a certain amount of gratitude for what they're most known for while also displaying a stalwart ability to stick to a bit.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pbXSramam6Ses7p6wqikaKhfrLWiwIyhmKmolaOypXnTqGSypKaewA%3D%3D

What Happened to Ylvis? Fans Fear Viral Singer Is Dead (2024)

FAQs

What are Ylvis doing now? ›

In 2018, the brothers released a series titled Stories from Norway, in which they collected headlining stories from Norway and presented them as short musical documentaries to address satire, fun and comedy.

Who is the lead singer of the Ylvis? ›

Bård Ylvisåker is a Norwegian comedian, singer, songwriter and musician (saxophone, guitar) born in Bergen, 21 March 1982. He is the father of three children alongside his wife Maria Lekva (married 2012). Together with his brother, Vegard Ylvisåker, they form the comedy duo Ylvis, active since 2000.

What happened to Ylvis' death? ›

Folks who saw a VGTV televised "funeral" for the singer, which shows him laying down in a casket, led many to believe he was dead. Singer Maria Mena led a choir in a slowed-down and sad performance of the viral hit track. Bård is not dead, however, and the video was just indeed a staged performance.

Why did Ylvis make the Fox song? ›

come from? The Norwegian brothers Bård and Vegard Ylvisåker, known together as the comedy duo Ylvis, had an offbeat idea in 2013: Make an intentionally terrible song, pair it with a high-quality, studio-level music video, and release it as a joke they expected to fail but help promote their Norwegian TV show.

What is Garfunkel and Oates doing now? ›

The duo wrote the music for the Netflix children's TV series Waffles + Mochi (2021) and will executive produce and write the music for the upcoming animated film Steps.

Where is the band Ylvis from? ›

Ylvis is a Norwegian comedy duo known most recently for ''What Does The Fox Say''. They started their career as singers and later talk-show hosts.

What is Ylvis' real name? ›

Ylvis is a variety show group from Bergen, Norway, consisting of the two brothers Bård Ylvisåker (born 1982) and Vegard Ylvisåker (born 1979). The brothers originated from Sogn, but grew up in Bergen and Africa.

What does the Fox say in Eurovision Ylvis? ›

No, the song 'What Does The Fox Say? ' by Ylvis was never performed in the Eurovision Song Contest. It was actually featured on the Norwegian talk show, 'Late Night with Ylvis.

Who are the cast of Ylvis? ›

Series Cast
  • Bård Ylvisåker. Himself. 10 Episodes.
  • Vegard Ylvisåker. Himself. 10 Episodes.
  • Emilie Nicolas. Herself. 10 Episodes.
  • Ingrid Gjessing Linhave. 1 Episode.
  • Olli Wermskog. 1 Episode.
  • Stinius Maurstad. 1 Episode.
  • Bjarne Brøndbo. 1 Episode.
  • Per Christian Ellefsen. Lektor Wold. 1 Episode.

Who is the third Ylvis brother? ›

Bjarte Ylvisåker is the youngest Ylvisåker brother. He was born in Bergen, Norway and spent a short amount of time in Africa as a young child. He participated in a few TV shows when he was quite young, and did quite well.

What is the meaning behind what does the fox say? ›

Speaking of the meaning of the song, Vegard characterizes it as coming from "a genuine wonder of what the fox says, because we didn't know". Although interpreted by some commentators as a reference to the furry fandom, the brothers have stated they did not know about its existence when producing "The Fox".

What does the fox say guy? ›

Instead, when Ylvis, the Norwegian comedy duo consisting of brothers Vegard and Bård Ylvisåker, premiered the jokey pop-electronica parody “The Fox” (better known as “What Does the Fox Say?”) as a teaser for their talk show kveld med YLVIS (Tonight with Ylvis), it became an international sensation.

What made the fox feel ashamed? ›

But one day he tried to play a trick on the stork by inviting her to dinner and giving her soup in a bowl that she couldn't have. The stork then gave the fox a payback by inviting him to dinner and serving him soup in a narrow, long-necked jar. So, in the end, the fox understood his mistake and felt ashamed.

What does the fox say one hit wonder? ›

"The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)" by Ylvis (2013) Norwegian comedy duo Ylvis found international success with their song of animal sounds, which asked the question: "What does the fox say?" Their answer was an annoying series of sounds that overtook radio airwaves and landed at No. 6 on the US charts.

What did the fox think to himself? ›

The fox thought to himself, "These grapes must not be ripe yet, or they wouldn't be hanging so high up." He looked at the grapes and thought, "They're probably sour anyway. I don't want them." The fox then walked away with his head held high, pretending like he didn't want the grapes in the first place.

What does a fox say in real life? ›

One of the most common fox vocalizations is a raspy bark. Scientists believe foxes use this barking sound to identify themselves and communicate with other foxes. Another eerie fox vocalization is a type of high-pitched howl that's almost like a scream.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Melvina Ondricka

Last Updated:

Views: 6398

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (48 voted)

Reviews: 95% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Melvina Ondricka

Birthday: 2000-12-23

Address: Suite 382 139 Shaniqua Locks, Paulaborough, UT 90498

Phone: +636383657021

Job: Dynamic Government Specialist

Hobby: Kite flying, Watching movies, Knitting, Model building, Reading, Wood carving, Paintball

Introduction: My name is Melvina Ondricka, I am a helpful, fancy, friendly, innocent, outstanding, courageous, thoughtful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.