The remix’s path to the top was a "tsunami effect" fueled by the internet:
In early 2019, , a 19-year-old amateur producer from Aksu, Kazakhstan, was working at his local train station. He stumbled upon a 2016 R&B track called "Roses" by the Guyanese-American artist SAINt JHN . SAINt JHN - Roses (Imanbek Remix) (Official Mus...
The story of the is one of the most unlikely success stories in modern music history. What began as an unofficial, "illegal" project by a teenage railway worker in Kazakhstan eventually transformed into a global anthem, winning a Grammy and amassing billions of streams. The Accidental Global Smash The remix’s path to the top was a
Using a 10-year-old laptop and a pair of basic headphones, Imanbek spent roughly two hours reworking the song. He drastically spiked the tempo, added a propulsive, "rubbery" bassline, and pitched the vocals up to a manic, high-pitched squeal. He posted the remix on a Russian social media site (VK) and went back to his day job, unaware that he had just created a worldwide hit. From TikTok to the Grammys What began as an unofficial, "illegal" project by