The indie artist Berq brought an unexpected track to his festival opener in Paderborn – and you could say: he didn’t choose it.
“You know the lyrics, I do!” grins Berq. The German indie singer, who thrilled many hearts with his song “Rote Fahnen”, performed yesterday at the Asta Summer Festival in Paderborn. However, no one would have expected a title on the setlist.
Meme song about the whale Timmy
The reason: Berq lost a bet. The result forces him to sing “He Didn’t Choose This” in his gig. The AI song went viral in spring 2026 and is about the whale Timmy (also called “Hope”), who was stranded on the German coast several times. Multiple rescue attempts failed, and Timmy died off the Danish island of Anholt in mid-May. The AI-generated song was intended to generate attention for the alleged lack of action by politicians. However, the use of the song in conspiracy theory circles tended to create a meme potential: “He didn’t choose that” soon spilled over into mainstream usage as a satirical meme sound.
Someone lost a bet…
Berq didn’t choose his fate either. The lost bet forces him to play the trending song at his show – but the fans celebrate. And yes, they actually know the lyrics. In TikTok recordings of the concert, you can hear the crowd singing along pretty clearly. These included amused comments: “I need a cover of him on Spotify” and “nobody checks how FUNNY this man is”.
The indie band Raum27 can hardly believe the absurdity of the video: “It’s AI,” they comment jokingly. Meanwhile, other users are worried about Berq’s image: “I can already see the Berq haters who think he’s serious.”
It seems pretty clear that the action is a joke thanks to Berq’s comment that he lost a bet. Was he aware of the ambiguity of the title “He didn’t choose this” in light of his lost bet? The fact that the singer apparently doesn’t take himself too seriously earns sympathy points from his fans.