Australian children's music group The Wiggles has issued a statement after two of its members were featured in a music video for a song that alludes to drug use.
In the since-deleted clip for musician Keli Holiday's song 'Ecstasy', Blue Wiggle Anthony Field and his nephew, Dominic Field, known as the Tree of Wisdom, appeared dancing in the background.
A spokesperson for The Wiggles stated that the group does not condone drug use in any form and clarified that the video had been produced without their approval.
The TikTok video garnered over 92,000 views before being taken down, as reported by Australian media sources.
In their statement to The West Australian newspaper, The Wiggles expressed concern regarding the impact of the circulating video on parents and professionals. We understand that a video circulating on social media has caused concern for many parents and professionals, and we want to address that directly. The Wiggles do not support or condone the use of drugs in any form. The content being shared was not created or approved by us, and we have asked for it to be removed,” the statement said.
While acknowledging that Keli Holiday is a friend of theirs, the group emphasized that the video was edited separately from their performances without their knowledge. The clip was filmed during the recent TikTok Awards where The Wiggles performed with Holiday during his song 'Dancing2'.
Holiday's original TikTok caption, The Wiggles get it, aimed to promote his new single 'Ecstasy', which features lyrics such as, “Hey girl, come on dance with me. You and your pocket full of ecstasy.”
The Wiggles further indicated that their acts at the awards had remained family-friendly, distancing themselves from the edited video which they were not aware of until it began circulating online.
Established in 1991 as a university project, The Wiggles has grown into a renowned international phenomenon amongst young audiences. Anthony Field is the sole original member currently in the group, while Keli Holiday also operates as the electronic duo Peking Duk. The BBC is awaiting a response from Holiday's management.
