People commuting on the TTC subway have been commenting on a divisive presence in the form of an accordion player belting out renditions of the 2017 hit song Despacito.

Videos captured on Line 1 trains this week show a man with an accordion and a large speaker singing along to a backing track of the seven-year-old tune, garnering mixed reactions from transit users.

TTC passenger Rodney Chan shared one clip of the spectacle, saying reaction from subway riders "was extremely mixed: some people moved away, some people were jamming and some tipped."

I haven’t seen live music played directly on the TTC subway train for a while and it’s Despacito nonetheless 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/Kue2ErchOx

— Rodney | Steeles Ave Stan (@_ChanFace) July 24, 2024

The same performer was spotted on a different day, up to the same shenanigans.

omg i think i saw the same performer the other day. pic.twitter.com/mARZSweaDr

— chloe! (@MerpingShark) July 24, 2024

It appears that this is the same performer that has been seen on the TTC since at least 2020.

However, footage from that time all but proved that they were merely playing along with a backing track, with a bit of pantomime for good measure.

While it does appear this musician knows how to play the accordion perfectly well (note the change in volume when he stops playing to check his phone), this footage has led many to characterize the current Despacito player as a "scammer."

A new Despacito accordion guy was spotted on the TTC - 📹 u/haxorino https://t.co/vZFxgabMje #Toronto #TTC #Despacito pic.twitter.com/LZ9d9m2Hz9

— blogTO (@blogTO) January 9, 2020

And he's not the first Despacito-playing, accordion-wielding man to divide the opinions of subway riders.

Back in 2018, two men became known as the "TTC accordion players" and were constantly spotted on different subway lines supposedly playing the same song.

Regardless of whether or not this supposed musician is actually playing the according here, it's not something condoned by the TTC.

TTC spokesperson Stuart Green confirmed to blogTO that "this is not allowed."

Green explained to blogTO that the "[the TTC has] a licensed subway musican program for a reason and this Weird Al Wanabe is welcome to apply for that if he wants to play music on TTC property."

"It's incredibly disruptive and prevents customers from hearing important announcements or just hoping to have a quiet ride."

Green says such behaviour is "akin to someone blasting Swedish death metal on a boombox at 11 without headphones… except it's Despacito on accordion, which is 'nails on a chalkboard'-level worse."

In the case of the two original Despacito accordion players, they were issued a number of fines and two summonses compelling them to appear before a justice of the peace before the impromptu performances were finally halted.