Edmonton musician riffs on Justin Trudeau's cringe-worthy 'speaking moistly' gaffe

An Edmonton musician is racking up the views on YouTube thanks in part to the prime minister.

During his daily news conference on Tuesday, Justin Trudeau uttered a word that makes some people cringe.

"If people want to wear a mask, that is OK,"he said. "It protects others more than it protects you, because it prevents you from breathing or speaking moistly on them."

Trudeau quickly acknowledged his mistake, saying "what a terrible image."

It was too late for damage control.

The phrase "speaking moistly" made some listeners flinch. Memes and remixes quickly appeared on social media sites, including one from Edmonton musician Brock Tyler, who decided to create something he called Justin Trudeau Sings "Speaking Moistly."

"I saw the original clip and I thought it was quite hilarious," the 36-year-oldsaid in an interview with CBC News. "So I just thought, why not try to make something fun out of it?"

The '80s style synth tune has a catchy beat but the lyrics and chorus about "speaking moistly" might make people cover their ears as well as their faces.

The song was posted on April 8 and had been viewed nearly 1.6 million times by midday on April 10.

This isn't the first time Tyler has turned a politician's words into a musical hit. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and former Toronto MayorRob Ford have also unwittingly been made into pop stars.

Tyler said politicians make good subjects because they tend to speak clearly and are familiar to most people.

"It's a voice that everybody knows, it's a person everybody knows," he said. "And I guess it's kind of a way of just having a bit of artistic fun, putting my stamp on current events."

Tyler thinks the prime minister likely sees the humour in the phrase he used.

"You know, you have to hand it to Justin Trudeau," Tyler said. "He just immediately owned the moment as something that was just really ridiculous and fun."

The biggest reward, Tyler said, has been putting smiles on people's faces during a difficult time.

"People are really looking for something that's a distraction but also speaks to what we're all thinking about and facing every day at home," he said. "I thought it was a really special moment."