Back in 2014, Nigerian artist Skales dropped a song called Shake Body, an Afrobeat classic. It turned out to be a huge hit but like most songs, it eventually slipped out of the spotlight until this year, 2025 when a teenage football star through his post on Tiktok turned it into a global sensation.
The resurgence began with Lamine Yamal, a 16 year old Fc Barcelona progidy whose Tiktok video dancing to Shake Body went viral in 2025. His spontaneous vibe and moves combined with the song’s timeless groove found it’s way to the hearts of audiences which sparked a new wave of content. Samuel Omorodion and Nicholas Williams joined the trend which amplified it’s reach across Europe and Africa.
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMB34AM2Y/
The Shake body challenge dominated Tiktok with millions recreating Yamal’s choreography or adding their own twists. As the trend gained momentum, Skales took advantage by releasing an Onderkoffer remix, a high energy DJ reinterpretation he had encountered in Europe. With it’s upload to streaming platforms and without a playlist support, the remix gained nearly 200,000 streams in about 11 hours. Skales himself expressed awe at the revival and he attributed this spotlight to divine timing: “God indeed works in mysterious ways”
The Nigerian artist got an invite: A trip to Spain to celebrate with FC Barcelona’s stars. He flew on the same plane as the team to Sevilla for the Copa Del Rey final. In a post, the artist referred to it as a “Full Circle Moment” thanking Spotify for arranging the experience and finally meeting Lamine Yamal.
Skales shared clips of his time with the team on his social platforms including a Tiktok duet with Yamal which further fueled the song’s momentum. The song’s global visibility skyrocketed. This was not just a win for Skales, it seems like a turnaround for his career and his music.
Social media sure has a way of allowing old tracks to find new audience and we cannot undermine the influence Tiktok is making in the music industry when it comes to song promotion. While people marveled at Yamal’s cultural reach and wondered how he got to know the song or the artist. Streaming metrics went over the roof with the track reportedly hitting 40 million Spotify streams. For Skales, it is a career revival proving that in the streaming era, hits are never truly over-they’re just waiting for their next viral moment.
The Shake body revival showcases modern virality, cross industry collaborations and algorithmic serendipity. One thing noteworthy is that great music is timeless. For Skales, a decade old anthem has become a bridge between generations, continents and cultures, all thanks to a footballer’s dance and the unstoppable force of Tiktok.
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