Yes, you heard that right. Paul Potts, the winner of season one of Britain’s Got Talent, is the actual singer of the soundtrack played in a bloody game of Russian roulette combined with a famous childhood game.
Paul Potts used to sell cellphones at a British store before making his name in the Britain’s Got Talent first season. He could be the most unexpected person to give a soundtrack for one of the most well-known series around the world.
It was not an actual song that he recorded in the studio for Squid Game’s sophomore season. It was just the Opera section that helped him win hearts in Britain’s Got Talent.
Paul Potts gave his version of Nessun Dorma, which is an aria from the final act of Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot. The song also reached its peak of fame during the 1990 FIFA World Cup and now reaches the screen via a Korean drama series.
The extent of the internet and the global reach of consumers have allowed them to access Korean drama series, thus giving Squid Game an international eminence.
Having Potts’ version of the Nessun Dorma selected for the second season of Squid Game means that it has already received worldwide acclaim.
Where did Potts’ song get featured in Squid Game?
What more could Potts’ have wished for than getting his song placed right in the opening episode of Squid Game season 2? It was when the recruiter of Squid Game, played by Silenced actor Gong Yoo, was playing Ddakji at the train station to sign up as many people for the special annual games.
However, it was not that easy. The winner of Squid Game season 1, Gi-Hun, played by Lee Jun-Jae, is looking for him and for that very reason, hired help. Gong Yoo spots the two people helping Gi-Hun and forces them to play rock, paper, scissors with a mind-boggling twist.
It was “rock, paper, scissors, minus one” but of course, with Russian roulette. All hail Pott’s song here, giving the much-needed feel to the deadly scene, and adding intensity to the upcoming carnage in the rest of the season.
When asked about the reason for picking up this special piece of song for the cited scene, the creator of Squid Game, Hwang Dong-Hyuk, mentioned in an interview to Deadline that he wanted the recruiter to have “a regular playlist that he would always be listening to”.
He knew about Pott’s version of Nessun Dorma and its instant success, the highlighted part of the song was its last word “Vittoria”, which means victory.
Dong-Hyuk felt that it was a perfect closure to the scene and the building vehemence which was essential for the overall effect.
Despite earning a distinction in its early days, Pott’s version of Nessun Dorma has now gone viral, gaining over 200 million views on YouTube.