Even people without children will be familiar with ‘Baby Shark’, the kids’ song accompanied by a recognizable dance that has been all over the internet recently. With its intensely memorable melody, you either love it or you hate it – but either way, whenever it comes on, it’s recognizable within seconds. However, no matter how many times you have heard Baby Shark (or covers of it), we can guarantee that you’ve probably never heard a version that sounds like the one uploaded by drummer Torataro.
Aged just 7 at the time he uploaded the video, Torataro is a young Japanese drummer best-known for his viral drum cover of ‘Baby Shark’ that was uploaded in 2018, and has since been watched by nearly 53 million people. Showing off drumming skills that would be a struggle to perform even for someone much older than him, Torataro showcases a range of different drum beats throughout the duration of ‘Baby Shark’, changing the beat to suit the character who is being sung about in the song at that time.
For instance, when he’s playing along to the verse about Baby Shark, he cleverly keeps the beat focused on the hi-hats, ensuring his drums fit perfectly with the light, youthful nature of that verse. During the Daddy Shark verse, meanwhile, Torataro uses the tom drums to create a booming, resonant beat, again reflecting the nature of the vocals. It’s incredibly clever considering his age, especially when you see that he often throws his sticks into the air and catches them whilst playing too.
Unbelievably, Torataro has uploaded videos of him playing the drums from when he was even younger, tackling tricky songs that defy his youthfulness. At just five years old, for instance, he played along to the instrumental track ‘He’s A Pirate,’ taken from the score of ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’. The young drummer’s face is a picture of concentration as he plays some incredibly challenging beats that fit the music perfectly, and he looks tiny amidst the enormous drum kit situated around him.
There are talented musicians, and then there are child prodigies, with Torataro very definitely falling into the latter category. He hasn’t uploaded anything to his YouTube channel in about four years, but given that he has been drumming since he was three years old and has featured on numerous television shows and social media channels in the meantime, no doubt he is still playing drums and entertaining residents of Japan with his extraordinary talents.
If you would like to hear more from this talented drummer you can subscribe to their YouTube Channel for more incredible music. You can also follow Torataro on Facebook for updates.