Right, hands up who had drama between electroacoustic harpist Emily Hopkins and soul singer Seal on their bingo card for 2024? Not us.

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On 27 February, Hopkins shared an Instagram video in which she begins, “This is exactly how I clean my pedals,” and shows herself cleaning her guitar pedals with soap and water to “get in there,” and using a toothbrush for the circuit board.

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A post shared by ˗ˏˋ Emily Hopkins ˎˊ˗ (@emilyharpist)

At the end of the video, Hopkins shares that she’s giving away one of her favourite Uni-Vibe pedals, the Eventide Riptide pedal, and tells her followers to like the video, tag a friend, and comment below “This is exactly how I clean my pedals” for a chance to win.

Somehow, Seal came across the post and weighed in, saying, “What was the point of doing it? I get it’s a parody but it’s not a very good one,” to which Hopkins replied, “Sorry Mr. Seal.”

Hopkins then took to Threads to share a screenshot of the exchange, saying, “Seal giving me shit on Instagram was not on my 2024 bingo card.”

Generally, people have been able to use their critical thinking skills and realise that she was joking, seeing the funny side, with some commenting, “This is exactly how Seal cleans his pedals,” while others made jokes about putting their own pedals in the washing machine or the bath.

But for many, her video was no laughing matter. One commenter wrote: “Unfortunately I believe she actually does this. This is bad advice. Water and electronics do not go together. Rust, corrosion of the solder points, yeah… This is really stupid. I wouldn’t want your rusty ass pedals. I would be afraid of frying my electronics in my guitar and amplifier.”

Another mentioned Hopkins’ large collection of pedals, saying, “She has hundreds because she keeps destroying them with water.”

However, if you’re able to recognise a joke when you see one, and you wouldn’t mind winning a pedal, the competition is still open.

Head to Emily Hopkins’ Instagram page to learn more.