Omarion is here for those Omicron variant memes: 'There is nothing more healing than music or a good laugh'

Garin Flowers
·National Reporter and Producer
·3 min read
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Omarion has a mad meme game — and a great sense of humor. In October, the “Ice Box” singer went viral after dancing to a TikTok challenge made in his name. Now his moniker is trending for another reason: its similarity to the emerging COVID-19 variant Omicron.

As news of the strain erupted over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, Black Twitter couldn’t help but connect Omicron with Omarion.

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - OCTOBER 10: Omarion performs during the Millennium Tour at Little Caesars Arena on October 10, 2021 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Scott Legato/Getty Images)
Omarion performs during the Millennium Tour at Little Caesars Arena on Oct. 10, 2021 in Detroit. (Photo by Scott Legato/Getty Images)

Even New York Rep. Gregory Meeks jumped in, with a mini-PSA referencing Omarion’s hit 2014 track.

And Omarion is here for the merriment.

“There is nothing more healing than music or a good laugh,” Omarion exclusively tells Yahoo Entertainment in response to his name suddenly trending on social media.

“I’m thankful to be able to give people both ... even if it is at my expense. From the Omarion dance challenge to being superimposed on the new variant, the internet is forever undefeated.”

Born Omari Ishmael Grandberry, the singer, now 37, adopted his stage name when he joined the boy band B2K in 1999. He is currently headlining the Millennium Tour ahead of his next album, Full Circle.

Since the spring, the World Health Organization, has named variants based on the Greek alphabet. Americans are most familiar with the Delta variant, which was followed by eight others, such as Epsilon and Iota. The WHO skipped over the letters Nu and Xi and went with Omicron after identifying the strain last week in South Africa.

United States health officials say they know little about this version of the novel coronavirus, which has been found in southern Africa, Europe, Australia, Israel and Hong Kong; on Wednesday, the first case was discovered in the U.S., in California.

Omicron has been deemed a “variant of concern” and health authorities are working to figure out the effectiveness of existing vaccines; in the meantime, officials are urging those vaccinated to get the booster shot to best protect themselves.

And while White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said it’s “too early to say” if Omicron could prompt lockdowns, it wasn’t too early for Black Twitter to make jest.

“I can’t help but appreciate the creativity of people,” Omarion adds. “We all need some laughter during these grueling pandemic times that can be dark. While we laugh, stay safe and stay healthy.”