What's The Song In That New White Claw Commercial?
The new commercial for White Claw sees a young man assemble some buddies to enjoy alcoholic beverages together like they're some kind of party Avengers. The vibe is all about having a good time, which is in line with a previous White Claw ad using "Hello Today" by Black Honey as its soundtrack. This time around, the White Claw commercial song is the true track of the summer — "Lil Boo Thang" by Paul Russell.
The song samples "Best of My Love" from The Emotions but was written by Earth, Wind & Fire's Al McKay and Maurice White. That duo's artistry had a huge resurgence in 2023, as one of their band's classic songs, "Reasons," was on the incredible "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" soundtrack. However, "Lil Boo Thang" found success on a smaller screen, namely social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
Russell initially only released a 21-second clip of the song in the summer of 2023. It quickly went mega-viral before the release of the full song, which arrived as a proper single in August of that year. Russell explained to Billboard what made the track stand out, saying, "I think what makes the song special is the fact that so many of us are ready to just forget about whatever is happening around us and enjoy the good things in life — not just thinking back to good times in the past but creating new ones in the present day."
Paul Russell went from the tech industry to being a pop star
For anyone who's chronically online, hearing "Lil Boo Thang" as the White Claw commercial song may make them want to change the channel, given how much airplay it's gotten as of late. But honestly, it's so catchy and infectious it's hard to imagine anyone getting tired of it. In the span of a year, the single has completely altered Paul Russell's life. Prior to the song's success, Russell worked at a tech company, but he quit to focus on music full-time after the song's viral success. It's all the more impressive considering he didn't even plan on releasing the full song initially.
Russell told Today.com about how he just thought releasing the short snippet would be a fun thing on its own. "I put out the clip as like, fun content. And then people loved it. And it was like, 'Okay, you know, now I'll make it into a song, I guess,'" he said. The song's success has led to a cavalcade of opportunities for the budding singer. He appeared on an episode of "American Idol" Season 22 as a guest performer. "American Idol" winner contracts may not be as lucrative as they used to be, but Russell getting that kind of exposure will hopefully provide an even greater boost to his career. Additionally, Russell is an opening act for Meghan Trainor's 2024 Timeless Tour.
Russell has plenty of things to be happy about these days. It should make performing "Lil Boo Thang" ad nauseam all the more palatable.