Jered Threatin empty stage interesting long read

Jered Threatin: Creating a false life and musical career online

Jered Threatin. If you are already familiar with the name then it is entirely possible that you are already part of the Jered Threati story yourself.

If you’ve never heard of the world-famous musician (or artist?) Jered Threatin, then you now have a crucial decision to make ahead of the facts. Do you want to know? And in the process of doing so, become part of the story?

Do you want to hear one of the most fantastical stories of the modern internet age? A story where fact is stranger than fiction because the fact is fiction and the fiction becomes fact. A tale of a world-renowned musician whose fame only exists because he told you that it was true.

Jered Threatin managed to pull off a European Tour for his band ‘Threatin’ based on internet-based credentials combined with real-life tales of a conman of the simplest fabrication.

Once you’ve read the story, question your own reaction. Are you impressed at the gall of the man? Are you sickened that someone could fool hundreds of people through outright lying? Do you feel sorry for the perpetrator of the lies – with some concern for his mental well-being?

For me, it’s a story which makes you question the boundary between outright lying and fabrication vs the entire marketing and branding sector – whose jobs it is to create stories such as this; to create origin stories for brand new commercial brands in order to endear their company, products, & services to us, the capitalist consumers.

Why do we hate individuals that try to break into the industry of their dreams though overcoming the barriers to entry that the industry themselves have put in place?

The music industry has entire teams of marketers, branding agencies, and stylists that fabricate back-stories and create new images for artists that they want to promote.

Do you remember how you first heard about Lana Del Rey? The myth, the legend, the self-styled star with ‘overnight’ success?

Why do we worship one and hate on another? Is it just the stark difference in talent? If that’s the case then let us hate Jered Threatin’s musical ability and simultaneaously admire his viral success.

Read more in the BBC’s long-read investigation into Jered Threatin: A Conversation with a False Rock God.