That’s one way to go viral! Katy Perry performed her new single “Swish Swish” on Saturday Night Live with some help from Instagram sensation Russell Got Barzz.
The Grammy nominee, 32, sang the song, which is rumored to be a Taylor Swift diss track, on a white runway while surrounded by a group of drag queens in colorful costumes. Toward the end of the bizarre performance, Russell hit the stage with a deadpan expression on his face.
“C’mon, you’re ’bout to show them, right?” the singer, clad in a Beetlejuice-esque monochromatic jacket, asked the 15-year-old viral star. “You got bars? Let’s go!”
Wearing a backpack and a gray T-shirt, Russell launched into an odd dance routine in which he swung his arms back and forth at a rapid pace, staring into the camera without cracking a smile. At the end of the song, Perry dropped her microphone.
Naturally, viewers took to social media to share their thoughts on the performance, with many praising Russell’s unique moves. “I’m going as the backpack swish arms kid for Halloween,” one Twitter user wrote. Another added “Love that backpack kid from #SNL is an internet hero today. I’d dislocate my shoulders if I did that.”
Russell has nearly 500,000 followers on Instagram and first became a viral star after Rihanna reposted one of his videos last year to celebrate her eight Grammy nominations.
