The Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has just wrapped up Singles Day, a 24-hour online shopping blitz that’s akin to the US shopping holiday Cyber Monday.
Before the event’s formal commencement at midnight on Nov. 11, the company staged a televised countdown ceremony full of celebrity appearances. International guests included Nicole Kidman, the Blue Man Group, and Maria Sharapova. One of the top-billed stars was the rapper and producer Pharrell. His performance, however, will not be fondly remembered.
The rapper and singer appeared on stage beside Chinese pop star Kris Wu, performing a bizarre duet that celebrates “Double Eleven Day”, shopping, China, and not much else. Accompanied by a hip-hop beat and backup dancers, the two crooned lyrics like:
If you could believe/and organize like the bees/You can do it you’ll see there’s strength in numbers
The possibilities are swimming around inside my head/All the money raised imagine what could be done with it
So many miracles could happen because of this day/You know the world’s watching wishing they could participate
Earlier in the gala, Pharrell performed a brief rendition of his song Happy with Hong Kong pop star Karen Mok. Both singers came out of that song unscathed-though it’s likely one of the few times Pharrell was accompanied by a guzheng, the stringed instrument popular during the Qin dynasty.
