The White House Taps Ocean Alley

Ocean Alley’s viral success with 2018 hit Confidence has hit another level, with the White House plugging the band’s now iconic tune on its verified Instagram account.

In a video post starring US President Joe Biden giving the thumbs up, Confidence plays as the White House cites a Market Watch report entitled “Consumer confidence climbs to 2-year high as inflation slows and economy keeps growing”.

Notably, it’s not the original version of Confidence used in the White House’s video, but a sped-up version – the likes of which have taken over user algorithms on TikTok. You can watch the video below.

Confidence has been connecting with audiences since its release in February 2018.

Back when it was released, The Music’s Emma Salisbury stated that the song “presents a whomping bass line that intertwines the track's tight marriage of hoarse electric guitar and straight drums, through a laid-back, funky groove. Vocals drenched in harmony echo through a gradual build of synths into perfectly placed hypnotic motifs, creating an elaborate, electric soundscape.”

Ocean Alley went on to win triple j’s Hottest 100 of 2018 with Confidence, with listeners across the country voting for their favourite songs - a whopping 2,758,584 votes were recorded in the lead-up to the band’s win.

The band kicked off the countdown with Happy Sad at #100 before also appearing at #16 with their 2018 Like A Version cover, Baby Come Back, and #10 with Knees.

However, late last year, Confidence had another run at success after going viral on TikTok.

Confidence, which has already been certified six times Platinum in Australia, experienced an enormous resurgence on digital streaming platforms, with the audience in the US overtaking Australia for the first time.

Within two weeks in November, 22,000 TikTok users chose to use the song in their own videos. The impact was evident on streaming services, too: Confidence went to #2 on Spotify’s Viral Hits - USA playlist (not to mention viral charting in the UK, Ireland and Canada) and was added to Spotify’s Big on the Internet and Australia’s Front Left playlist.

By early December, Confidence was #16 on the ARIA Singles Chart when it was at #40 a week before.

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