Photo Credit: Sydney Sweeney for Novig
Sports betting app Novig got Sydney Sweeney to strip down for a new ad featuring Anderson .Paak’s indie hit “Come Down.”
“Euphoria” star Sydney Sweeney shows some skin in a sultry but playful new ad for Novig, the latest gambling app that focuses entirely on sports. The ad features a stripped-down Sweeney posing with various sports equipment, including footballs, basketballs, and a hockey net. But it’s also backed by an Anderson .Paak classic, “Come Down” from 2016’s Malibu, in a major win for the musician’s indie roots.
“The campaign was about embracing a fun idea,” said Sweeney. “The concept is simple: cut through the noise and put the focus entirely on sports. The campaign brings that idea to life with confidence, humor, and a playful edge.”
While the app is just for sports betting, the ad might focus on a little more than just sports. Sweeney poses provocatively in various athletic uniforms and with different sports equipment, comically repeating the word “sports” to emphasize the app’s focus. At the end, she breaks a rack of billiard balls and lies on top of the pool table, quipping, “You can’t trade this; I just look good here.”
But on the music side of things, Anderson .Paak’s “Come Down” plays over the spot—a fantastic placement for the artist’s early indie work. “Come Down” was one of four singles released to support Malibu’s release in January 2016, alongside “The Season/Carry Me,” “Am I Wrong,” and “Room in Here.” The record received widespread acclaim and received a Grammy nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album. Pitchfork ranked “Come Down” as the 44th best song of 2016, marking it as a major hit that year.
Malibu was also considered instrumental in Anderson’s bigger commercial breakthrough, following his prominent role in Dr. Dre’s Compton the year prior. He’s featured on six songs on that album, including “Animals,” produced by DJ Premier. “Animals” was originally slated to release on Malibu, but Dr. Dre later approved it for his own album.
While he launched his label, APESHIT, in partnership with Universal Music Group in 2021, .Paak spent the first decade or so of his music career as an independent artist. His earlier track featuring in the Novig ad signals that his indie work is still relevant in contemporary culture ten years on.