It's April Fools' Day, so odds are you've read a number of sensationalistic, completely false stories today that would normally appear in The Onion.
Here are five absurd stories which actually happened this year that could be mistaken for pranks, but are completely real.
A porn star purchased the $4 million castle Avicii used to produce his final album
AVN Award-winning porn superstar Mia Malkova purchased a piece of electronic dance music history when she forked over $4 million for the massive Oregon castle that Avicii rented to produce Tim, the album that would ultimately prove to be the legendary EDM artist's last. "It’s a porn castle now," said the listing agent at the time of the sale.
Porn star Mia Malkova purchased the $4 million Oregon castle Avicii rented to produce his final album, Tim.
Dana Smith, Mermaid Media
deadmau5's cat Meowingtons became the first pet to join OnlyFans
In March, deadmau5's cat became the first pet to join the controversial OnlyFans platform. Meowingtons actually has a real account with a bio that reads, "Just a cat living his best life on onlyfans." The page also has a slew of posts behind a paywall, one of which is visible and reads, "I’m the only gift you’ll ever need."
Meowingtons, a cat owned by deadmau5, became the first pet to join OnlyFans in March 2021.
An EDM sea shanty got signed to a major record label
After the explosion of sea shanties on TikTok—a platform dominated by prepubescent teens singing ol' hymns chanted by 19th century pirates and barnacle-scrubbing, drunken sailors—a music producer by the name of ARGULES created an "elecro-shanty" rendition. Because nothing should surprise you in 2021's Internet hellscape, the track eventually got signed to Polydor Records, a major label operating under the Universal Music Group umbrella.
ARGULES' remix of a TikTok sea shanty by Nathan Evans went viral and was ultimately released by Universal Music Group's Polydor Records.
Esquire
Humanity's first hotel in outer space will have a nightclub
While every nightclub on Earth remained shuttered due to the impact of COVID-19, plans were launched to build one in outer space. You can't make this stuff up. The company behind Voyager Station, an astronomically ambitious interstellar hotel complete with lounges, bars and concert venues, believe the structure can be fully operational by 2027.
A rendering of Voyager Station, a structure that would become the first-ever hotel in outer space upon completion.
Daft Punk split up after 28 years
This one still stings.
Legendary electronic music duo Daft Punk split up in February 2021 after 28 years.
Tim Doyle