Musician Sophia James has apparently cracked the code of TikTok’s algorithm – and is now riding a wave of viral success.
The former American Idol contestant decided, as an experiment, to post seven videos with her new single, “So Unfair,” to the social media platform. The first three weren’t labeled, and the rest were labeled “Group 4” through “Group 7.”
The first six videos only generated reactions and comments in the thousands. However, thanks to the mystery of TikTok’s algorithm, “Group 7” took off like a rocket. As of Monday, it had amassed more than 84 million views.
“I came home from a session one night and had the idea to post a ton of videos using the sound in hopes of getting out there,” James told KTLA on Monday, “thinking no one was going to see it anyway.”
She posted the seven videos, expecting very little to come of it – boy, was she wrong.
“The next morning, I woke up to a boom of notifications and friends coming out of the woodwork, texting me, ‘You know, I’m in Group 7!’” she said.
The number kept growing – and being part of “Group 7” has taken on a cult-like phenomenon on social media. While James might not fully understand how or why TikTok elevated her seventh clip, she’ll take it.
“I’m really happy people are finally listening to ‘So Unfair.’”
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