People watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade might have seen a performance by a man clad in a dramatic green coat, sunglasses and dark bob, forgoing his microphone at one point to climb the pirate-themed float he was on.
Who the heck was that?
That was Mr. Fantasy, a new artist who has skyrocketed to internet fame the past few months and has remained somewhat elusive in that time.
Recently however, the artist spoke with USA TODAY about his music, background and inspirations. For those still wondering who Mr. Fantasy is and how he’s risen to mainstream popularity, here’s what you need to know – with words from the man himself.
Who is Mr. Fantasy?
Mr. Fantasy – whose “real” identity is being debated online – is a British musician hailing from Harrogate, England, he told USA TODAY. The artist has risen to fame over the last couple of months, primarily through social media.
“I’ve prepared my whole life for this, some would say,” Mr. Fantasy said in an interview with USA TODAY Wednesday, Nov. 26. “In terms of the music, I’ve always been writing music, and there are riddles inside of me that are ready to be shared with the world, and I feel that I am just a vessel for those riddles, for those tales.”
Many people on social media believe that the artist is potentially the alter ego of New Zealand-born actor KJ Apa, best known for his role as Archie Andrews on the television show “Riverdale,” though it has not been confirmed by the artist or actor.
While Apa and Mr. Fantasy do not appear to look alike at first glance because of the artist’s signature dark bob, sunglasses, and teeth, viewers have pointed out in TikTok videos and online theories that Apa and Mr. Fantasy appear to have the same or similar tattoos.
However, when asked by USA TODAY about the questioners of his identity, Mr. Fantasy simply responded, “I haven’t seen any doubters.”
What inspired Mr. Fantasy to sing?
Mr. Fantasy was inspired to move to Los Angeles and start his music career by his grandmother, who he said had died earlier this year and was his number one supporter. He was raised by his grandmother, he said, who implored him to follow his dreams using finances that she had set aside for him for after she died.
“Obviously she knew that I loved music. She loved music, and she knew that I had all of this purpose inside me, that I had this oomph to go and to pursue it. And I couldn’t really do that in Leeds. Harrogate is not really the place to do that,” Mr. Fantasy said.
It was that relationship with his grandmother that made him very independent and introspective, he said.
“I have learned that about myself, that if I’m not here to invoke or provoke or discover or create love, then I don’t really want to be here because that’s the meaning to life,” Mr. Fantasy said.
Where does the name Mr. Fantasy come from?
Mr. Fantasy is not a stage name, the artist claimed. He said the name has been with him his entire life, adding to the mysteriousness that some people have likened to actor Donald Glover performing under rapper name “Childish Gambino.”
“The name Mr. Fantasy was given to me at birth,” Mr. Fantasy said. “I believe that I was given that name because I evoke a spirit of ever-expanding love, you know, I am what everyone else is. I mean, that’s what we all are. We are just bubbles of ever-expanding love.”
Beyond that, the nature of his name gives way to his goal as an artist to add his songs to the current musical landscape as individual stories, he said.
“I can be whoever I want in these fantasies, in these songs,” he added.
What are some of Mr. Fantasy’s songs?
Mr. Fantasy has three songs out and streaming: “Mr. Fantasy,” “Wayuwanna,” and “Catapult.” The most recent, “Catapult,” dropped on Friday, Nov. 28. His music often highlights life’s journeys, he said, adding that his creativity often comes from his experiences and aims to capture that moment of time in his life.
“My songs are all little exhibitions, aren’t they? They’re exhibitions. You sort of go through the curtain and you’re in another world, I hope…It’s like an art exhibition of another world, another universe, another fantasy that has come from my soul.” Mr. Fantasy said.
For the newly released “Catapult,” the song centers around a funky bass rhythm that came to him in a dream. The bass pushes the pace of the nearly five-minute-long song forward, which he described as “relentless” and filled with momentum that mirrors life itself.
“If you look at a heart monitor, what’s it doing? It’s not moving backwards, it’s not moving sideways, it’s moving forward, and that’s life. And I would assimilate that with music. I would especially assimilate that with ‘Catapult:’ It’s moving, and we are moving with the universe. We are moving with the rhythm of life,” Mr. Fantasy said.
Mr. Fantasy credits TikTok for virality, connection
Mr. Fantasy primarily has risen to popularity via his TikTok account, which is up to 1 million followers as of Nov. 28. He not only promotes his music on the account, which launched in August, but also posts videos of him interacting with celebrities and fans. The same is true for his Instagram, which has eclipsed 172,000 followers.
Many of the videos also seem to reflect his thoughts or stream of consciousness, an aspect of social media that the artist said is really only available by posting on TikTok. The app, which he described as “unpretentious,” allows him to see the real, authentic side of people.
“I’m interested in those moments that some would call mistakes, an unfiltered version of a life,” Mr. Fantasy said. “TikTok is where I can usually find weirdness. I can find truth, you know? I can find the subtle art of what it means to be human…I’m addicted to watching that. That is my…favorite thing to do and to watch. And I love TikTok, and I’m very grateful for it, because it allowed me to do some amazing things, to meet some brilliant people and to share my love with them.”
Mr. Fantasy said the app allows him to connect with people and “get an idea across to as many people as possible at one time,” including his music.
“I thought, ‘how can I connect with the widest audience? How can I stand naked in front of the whole world?’ And I knew that social media was the place to do that and to express myself through what I can do best,” Mr. Fantasy said.
What’s next for Mr. Fantasy?
Without sharing specifics, Mr. Fantasy teased more projects on the way, though he added it was “surprising” that he knows his next move.
“I usually don’t know what’s coming after the second that I’m living in, but after ‘Catapult’ is something else very exciting,” Mr. Fantasy said.
“Maybe it’s a song, maybe it’s a piece of cinema, or maybe it’s a birthday cake, I mean, maybe it’s nothing, but I can say that it’s very exciting, and it’s something that is very close to my heart.”