Evans first gained fame in 2020 by posting videos of himself singing sea shanties on social media service TikTok.
[3][4] In the 2023 BBC Scotland documentary What Next for the Wellerman?, Evans revealed that he was struggling with his mental health and had panic attacks while he was working up to 13 hours a day as a steel erector.
Evans subsequently posted videos of himself singing "The Scotsman" and New Zealand folk song about whaling "Wellerman" in December 2020.
[1][11] "Wellerman", which was already well known on the app due to the popularity of his version of the song, quickly gained views on TikTok, inspiring many others to duet and to remix the song, including renditions by composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, comedians Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert,[12] guitarist Brian May, and entrepreneur Elon Musk.
[17] In the Rolling Stone article discussing his success, Evans cited The Albany Shantymen version of the song as inspiration.
[21] Writing about the nature of Evans's success during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, Amanda Petrusich wrote in The New Yorker: "It seems possible that after nearly a year of solitude and collective self-banishment, and of crushing restrictions on travel and adventure, the shantey might be providing a brief glimpse into a different, more exciting way of life, a world of sea air and pirates and grog.
[23] In April 2022, Evans helped publicise the Doctor Who story "Legend of the Sea Devils" with an adaptation of "Wellerman".
In November 2022, he appeared as a racer at the World Wok Racing Championship, televised in Germany as a special episode of TV Total.