In 2024, Bec O’Malley went on a hike in the Peak District with his friends. He’d taken his acoustic guitar with him and decided to film a quick video of him covering Dylan Gossett’s ‘Coal’ while out on the misty paths. In the short clip, the young musician forgets the words a few lines in, but there was something about it that connected with those who saw it on their algorithm. Perhaps it was the unpolished charm of the video – mistake left in, cut off before he could try again – or his resonant vocals that hit in even just a few seconds, or a combination of the two. The likes quickly poured in, more so than for any other video he’d posted on TikTok before, igniting interest in this unknown talent.