Music

This Viral ‘Song of the Summer’ Was a TikTok Joke No One Got

DO IT FOR THE VIEWS

Megan Boni says she is not actually looking for a 6-foot-5 finance bro with a trust fund.

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A triptych of Megan Boni taking selfies on Instagram
Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Instagram

If you’ve scrolled through TikTok in the last week, the voice of Megan Boni singing about a tall, blue-eyed finance bro is likely living rent-free in your head.

“I’m looking for a man in finance, trust fund, 6’5”, blue eyes. Finance, trust fund, 6’5” blue eyes,” Boni sings to the camera in a faux British accent to an EDM-style beat.

“I’m looking for a man, I’m looking for a man, I’m looking for a looking for a, looking for a, looking for a finance, trust fund 6’5,” blue eyes finance, trust fund, 6’5”, blue eyes.”

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The 19-second TikTok posted on April 30 came with a plea for one of Boni’s 159,000 followers to turn her beat into an “actual song”—and it quickly became the app’s latest viral trend. Over the last six days, the video has gotten over 10.6 million views and remixes from almost two dozen online DJs. It was played at Loud Luxury and Elderbrook’s sets over the weekend and caught the interest of “Call Her Daddy” podcaster Alex Cooper and singer-songwriter FINNEAS.

But Boni told The Daily Beast that while she is thrilled that she made the “song of the summer,” she is also confused—because the video was a joke that nobody seemed to get.

https://www.tiktok.com/@girl_on_couch/video/7363742421588512043?_r=1&_t=8m8HTUgFB3H

“It was 100 percent a parody. Everything I do on TikTok is satire,” Boni said on Monday. “If anyone knows me, they know I am not a party girl. I sit on my couch, I am the laziest girl ever.”

“I want to be a comedian. My dream is to be on SNL,” the 26-year-old added.

Boni said that over the last three years, she has been posting on TikTok as a hobby when she’s not at her New York sales job. She said the inspiration for her viral lyrics was a combination of being single and poking fun at other women dating in the city.

“All of my friends are getting married and so I originally posted a TikTok about my only other single friend going on a good date,” she said. “And then I had another idea of making fun of girls who say they are low-maintenance and then they have like a long shopping list of needs.”

“I think I posted a draft on TikTok where I essentially list out the lyrics, like oh this guy needs to be in finance,” she explained. “At the end of that video, I started singing, so I thought OK, I’ll just make a separate video.”

She posted it after work last Tuesday and closed the app without a second thought. The next morning, she was surprised to see it had 100,000 views. “Then later that Wednesday, I looked at the app again and I was like, holy shit,” she said.

https://www.tiktok.com/@loudluxury/video/7365645214205398278?_r=1&_t=8m8JNltSGSd

The internet had latched onto Boni’s satire, which plenty of people found relatable.

“Tag me when they add the track. This is going to be my summer jam,” one TikToker follower commented.

“If it was wrong it wouldn’t be so catchy,” another wrote.

Soon, DJs took up Boni’s cause. MalibuBabie dropped her version on May 3 and is already asking her 100,000 followers to “pre-save” the song on Spotify. Users then started using her lyric model to make their own versions of a perfect man.

“I’m looking for a man in freelance, 5’6”, tattoos, Bushwick,” one user sang in her own May 4 version that has been viewed over 500,000 times.

FINNEAS posted a video using Boni’s lyric style to express another societal desire. “I’m looking for the wifi network, friend’s house, airport, hotel,” he said.

https://www.tiktok.com/@finneas/video/7365612885940112686?_r=1&_t=8m8IVhCKCA2

Boni said she was floored by the response, which has included praise from women for her taste in men and merchandise being made and sold. (She added that the lyrics don’t represent her qualifications for a romantic partner and that she is simply looking for someone who can “handle her.”)

At least 20 DJs have already inquired about exclusivity rights to the lyrics, the BBC asked her to record another verse, and Loud Luxury expressed interest in having her tag along for a show.

While she has not made any money off the video, Boni said she wants to “ride this wave” to launch her career. She has meetings with potential managers this week and was invited to get free Botox on Thursday from a New York salon.

“I have no interest in becoming a pop star, but I want to spin this into my own brand,” she said. “I want to pivot this into starting a YouTube Channel, make money off of that, and then try to act.”

“And if I can also say that I made the song of the summer, that’s just a plus,” she added.

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