Rick Astley Says 'Rickrolling' Helped Him Reconnect with 'Never Gonna Give You Up' After Years of Not Singing Song
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Astley recently released his new album, "Are We There Yet?"
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Rick Astley performs in the U.K. in June 2023Rick Astley has embraced his hit song "Never Gonna Give You Up" after years of avoiding it — all thanks to an internet trend.
The singer, 57, who recently released his new album Are We There Yet?, appeared on the U.K.'s BBC North West Tonight on Monday and revealed that the "Rickrolling" prank helped him reconnect with his 1987 hit after not singing it for 15 years, according to the BBC.
"Rickrolling" — which is when people trick others into clicking on a hyperlink that sneakily leads to the music video for "Never Gonna Give You Up" or watching a clip that ultimately becomes the music video — resulted in the song's YouTube views rising to 1.4 billion (and counting).
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“Without my old songs and without the Rickrolling thing and people being aware of that video on the internet in the way that they are — it’s got its own little universe almost — I wouldn’t have got the invite for Glastonbury,” Astley told BBC North West Tonight as he reflected on his Glastonbury festival performance back in June.
The musician described his debut at Glastonbury as “really really special.” He added that he defies “anybody to go to Glastonbury and be on that pyramid stage and not feel the enormity of it.”
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Rick Astley performs Leicester in September 2023Related: Greta Thunberg Sings, Dances to Rick Astley's 'Never Gonna Give You Up' at Climate Activism Concert
"It's a great box to tick that's for sure," Astley continued during the interview.
Last month, the musician settled a vocal impersonation lawsuit against rapper Yung Gravy. Astley filed the lawsuit in January in Los Angeles, claiming that Yung Gravy used "a deliberate and nearly indistinguishable imitation" of his voice in the rapper's popular song "Betty (Get Money)."
According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Astley and Yung Gravy, 27, settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed sum on Sept. 26.
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