This Is Canada. No Baby, It Is Singapore

Submission 10,160

Part of a series on Canada. [View Related Entries]

About

This Is Canada. No Baby, It Is Singapore, continued Welcome To Singapore. Targal Targal, refers to a TikTok sound created by Bangladeshi TikToker 🔥aktar khan🔥 (@aktarkhan116) in late 2022 in which a female voice says, "This is Canada," to which he rebukes, "No baby, it is Singapore. Welcome to Singapore." After that, a male voice says, "Targal targal" (alternatively written as, "Tarqal tarqal"). The sound became known in memes on TikTok in 2022 and 2023 as 🔥aktar khan🔥 created variant sounds that inserted other countries such as England and Albania, among others, into the catchphrase like a phrasal template.

Origin

On October 9th, 2022, TikToker^[1] aktarkhan116 posted a video showing himself in Singapore as a female voice insists that his location is Canada to which he corrects her by saying, "No baby, it is Singapore. Welcome to Singapore." Then a male voice says, "Targal targal," as music plays. Over the course of three months, the video received roughly 1.5 million plays and 100,600 likes (shown below, left). On the same day, October 9th, TikToker^[2] aktarkhan116 added another video using the same sound and setting, gaining roughly 649,400 plays and 37,600 likes in three months (shown below, right).

Spread

In October 2022, TikToker^[3] aktarkhan116 continued posting videos that used his sound, eventually inspiring others to make memes using it. For instance, on October 19th, 2022, TikToker^[4] goofyahhbro_ posted a video using the sound and various memes such as Side Eyeing Chloe, Patrick Bateman's Ooh Face and the 8 Mile Rap Battle, earning roughly 1.4 million plays and 145,600 likes in three months (shown below, left). Also on October 19th, 2022, TikToker^[5] grandzeno._ used the sound, putting it into the Babe Please Stop format and gaining roughly 548,100 plays and 54,200 likes in three months (shown below, right).

Besides shitpost compilations, many TikTokers also recreated aktarkhan116's videos by mimicking his walking and pointing as well as lip-dubbing the sound. For instance, on December 22nd, 2022, Russian YouTuber roman_nfkrz posted a TikTok^[6] that uses the sound, showing himself in Singapore. In one month, the video received roughly 404,300 plays and 31,100 likes (shown below).

In January 2023, TikToker aktarkhan116 began posting variants of the sound that namedropped other countries of origin. For instance, on January 11th, 2023, he posted a "Welcome to Indonesia" version to TikTok,^[7] gaining roughly 348,100 plays and 23,500 likes in one week (shown below, left). On January 12th, 2023, he posted an iteration to TikTok^[8] about Poland, gaining roughly 576,500 plays and 54,500 likes in six days (shown below, right).