Amanda Palmer's 'Encanto' Cover Hits a Nerve on TikTok

Singer-songwriter Amanda Palmer was dragged on TikTok for covering a song from Encanto, the hit Disney film that is much-loved on the Gen Z platform.

Palmer—known for her work as a solo artist and as part of dark cabaret duo The Dresden Dolls—shared an intense cover of "Surface Pressure" on March 18, which she performed in a studio accompanied by her own piano playing and a violinist.

TikTok users soon panned Palmer's cover, claiming she had ruined a beloved song. The video stands at nearly 5 million views and over 50,200 comments at the time of writing.

One top comment, quoting a viral Justin Bieber phrase, reads: "Immediately no."

Other TikTok users called for an "apology video with tears," referring to a popular format for celebrities and influencers seeking forgiveness after going viral for the wrong reasons.

"Oh my god the comments," Palmer commented on her video. "Wait until you see my armpit hair & hear the songs of the dresden dolls. buckle up kiddos, this is amanda fckn palmer."

In a TikTok video addressing the poor reception of her cover, Palmer said she was "having a good time."

"I feel like the old person learning what everything means on TikTok," she said.

"I love you so much. All of you. All of this," she continued. "The whole internet. All of TikTok. All the conversations, all the love, all the hate, all the rage, I just f*****g love you so much."

Though Palmer referred to her critics as "random kids who don't know me or anything about me," TikTokers who are more familiar with the singer posted widely-viewed videos highlighting the controversies that have dotted her career.

Incidents that were rehashed included Palmer's previous use of the n-word; her Evelyn Evelyn project (in which she appeared as one half of conjoined twins, spurring accusations of ableism); a song with audio of Palmer faking her own suicide to her then-boyfriend; and one instance in which the singer promised beer, hugs and high-fives as compensation to guest musicians on a crowd-funded tour.

While Palmer has apologized for most of these episodes (and pledged to pay the musicians), her TikTok critics remained dissatisfied.

Newsweek has contacted Amanda Palmer for comment.

Some of the backlash also referred to Palmer, who is white, covering a song written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and sung by Jessica Darrow—both Hispanic artists—for a film that features Colombian characters.

This recalled a similar TikTok row that saw another white artist slammed for reworking a song by a person of color.

After Black U.K. rapper Dreya Mac's song "Own Brand Freestyle" went viral last year, a white TikToker performed Mac's verses with lyrics rewritten to appear more lesbian-oriented. Mac, who is gay herself, said the remix's initial positive responses indicated "subconscious racism."

"Okay, I didn't even want to say anything when I first saw this girl's video on my For You Page," the rapper said in a TikTok video.

"I was scrolling through the comments and there was just loads of predominantly white gay people saying, 'This is the representation we need! This is the [woman-loving-woman] representation we need in music!'"

"I'm literally gay, bro. Why am I not okay representation? I think we know why."

Few contemporary Disney works have had a hold on TikTok like Encanto. The film left the app bursting with viral songs, fan theories and memes.

"We Don't Talk About Bruno"—another hit from Encanto's soundtrack—topped the Billboard Top 100 chart for five weeks, a historic feat for a song from a Disney movie. While a Best Song Academy Award win was thought to be a no-brainer, the track's popularity became apparent after the deadline for Oscars submissions, which led Disney to submit another Encanto song, "Dos Oruguitas."

Encanto won Best Animated Film at this year's Oscars but an altered live performance of "We Don't Talk About Bruno" elicited mixed reviews.