Get All Access for $5/mo

Canva Is Going Viral For a Questionable Musical Performance at a Company Conference: 'Peak Cringe' Canva Create took place in Los Angeles on May 23.

By Emily Rella

In order to avoid looking "cheugy" to Gen Z, older managers (Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers) are constantly trying to stay ahead of workplace trends. However, in doing so, sometimes leaders can miss the mark — which seems to be exactly what happened at the Canva Create conference on May 23.

Related: Cringe-Worthy Video of an Employee Forgetting to Mute Herself on Conference Call Has the Internet Crying: 'I Would Just Quit and Move to Another State'

Attendees were able to score a spot at the event for $175. The conference was also live-streamed globally.

"Whether you're a professional, nonprofit, educator, or creator, it's shaping up to be a world-class creative festival with the unique opportunity to learn from and network with like-minded innovators," the company said.

But in a now-viral clip, a musical performance with a rapper and six backup dancers is being panned for being "cringe."

Though the entire performance feels like an Off-Broadway parody of Hamilton, thanks to the cadence and conversation in the lyrics, the reviews were not what producers would want to see.

Related: Turning Points: Melanie Perkins, Co-Founder And CEO, Canva

Canva is not the first company to get pushback for "cringe" at a company event this month. Earlier in May, at Google's I/O Event, a musician was also mocked for his performance.

Canva did not immediately respond to Entrepreneur's request for comment.

Emily Rella

Entrepreneur Staff

Senior News Writer

Emily Rella is a Senior News Writer at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was an editor at Verizon Media. Her coverage spans features, business, lifestyle, tech, entertainment, and lifestyle. She is a 2015 graduate of Boston College and a Ridgefield, CT native. Find her on Twitter at @EmilyKRella.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Side Hustle

She Had Less Than $800 When She Started a Side Hustle — Then This Personal Advice From Tony Robbins Helped Her Make $45 Million

Cathryn Lavery built planner and conversation card deck company BestSelf Co. without any formal business education.

Business News

How Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Transformed a Graphics Card Company Into an AI Giant: 'One of the Most Remarkable Business Pivots in History'

Here's how Nvidia pivoted its business to explore an emerging technology a decade in advance.

Business News

Want to Start a Business? Skip the MBA, Says Bestselling Author

Entrepreneur Josh Kaufman says that the average person with an idea can go from working a job to earning $10,000 a month running their own business — no MBA required.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.