Ghali's viral Vodafone ad and Sanremo-bound career

Italian-Tunisian rapper Ghali, 25, from Milan's Baggio district, has seen explosive YouTube growth since his Vodafone Shake Remix 30-second clip launched on January 26, 2018: 900,000 views day one, 1.4 million day two, 1.8 million day three. His debut album, simply titled "Album", released August 2017, sold 50,000 copies in two weeks. Invited by Fabio Fazio to Che tempo che fa in September 2017, Ghali garnered 1 million views. Vanity Fair Italia crowned him on July 24, 2017, noting he is more streamed on Spotify than Fedez. His latest clip "Cara Italia" aired on all free-to-air TV on January 26, 2018, introduced by Ghali as a song inspired by his first trip to America, addressing Italy's flaws for self-improvement. Ghali cites Michael Jackson as his idol, avoids naming rappers like Eminem or Snoop Dogg, and does not mention Stromae, though both are ethnic integration examples. Stromae's "Papaoutai" has 503 million views, far exceeding Ghali's numbers despite Ghali's media push including Vodafone, Fazio, and upcoming Sanremo appearance.