Fish seller's catchy tune wins him record music deal
A Pakistani fish seller in the UK maysoon be as popular as Gangnam Style star Psy, with his catchy song to attract customers notching up more than 3.6 million views on Youtube and landing him a record music deal.
"Come on ladies, come on ladies, have-a, have-a look, one pound fish. Very very good, very very cheap, one pound fish," fish seller Muhammad Shahid Nazir can be seen singing at an east London market to attract customers.
Once you've heard it you can't get it out of your head, and it might just be the Christmas No 1. Nazir's 'One Pound Fish Song' has just reeled him a record deal with Warner Music, The Sun reported.
He was spotted after a YouTube video of him singing at an east London market notched up more than 3.6 million views. Not bad for a guy who was rejected by the X Factor panel.
Now Warner Music executives reckon he could be as big as South Korean Gangnam Style star Psy and are pitting him against the winner of X Factor for the most remembered hit of the year.
Alesha Dixon and US boy band Mindless Behaviour have both recorded versions of the song and Rio Ferdinand has tweeted that he's a fan.
In Queen's Market, Upton Park, 31-year-old Shahid seems like an unlikely pop star in tracksuit bottoms and old beanie. But the moment he starts to sing we are suddenly surrounded by a sea of fans.
Yolanda Riley, 20, travelled from Ashford in Kent just to meet him. She says: "I am obsessed with his song, I had to meet him. He smelt like fish but he was amazing. I'm so happy now."
Shahid says the attention is not unusual.
"People have come from Australia, the US, Canada and all over Europe. They don't come here to work or shop, they come for One Pound Fish Man," Shahid said.
Shahid moved to the UK just over a year ago with only a bag and the hope of making enough money to send to his wife and four children in Pakistan.
On his first day working on the fish stall, Shahid's boss told him to shout to the customers to get their attention. He didn't like shouting so made up a song.
"My customers said to me, 'Your song is very good, so catchy'" Shahid explained.
"They said, 'You should be a pop star, you should go on X Factor,'" he said. He appeared on this year's live auditions but was voted out.
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