Donald Trump capped off his performance at the final US presidential debate yesterday by—bizarrely, apparently apropos of nothing—interrupting Hillary Clinton’s remarks on tax policy to call her a “nasty woman.”
The internet blowback was instantaneous. It included a flood of Twitter snark, a “nasty woman” website redirecting to Clinton’s campaign site, and dozens of quips bringing up “Nasty,” the 1986 hit song by Janet Jackson.
Streams of “Nasty” have actually spiked 250% on Spotify, a spokesperson told Quartz today.
It’s not unusual to see certain songs or artists explode on streaming services after some significant event they’re involved in—One Direction streams shot up almost 800% after singer Zayn Malik announced his departure, for instance, and Bob Dylan streams rose 512% following his surprise Nobel Prize win last week.
An artist’s death can also lead to a huge surge in his or her streams. But in this case, the boost came from the not-to-be-underestimated power of social media.