• Sophia James started a TikTok experiment by posting seven movies selling the identical music to check the platform's algorithm.
• The seventh video, now referred to as "Group 7," has obtained over 38 million views.
• James competed on American Idol in 2020, and is now selling her music "So Unfair."

For those who're studying this, you might be in Group 7. Or are you?

A video by 26-year-old musician and American Idol alum Sophia James has taken TikTok by storm. The video, captioned "Group 7 who’re you," promoted the singer's new music "So Unfair," and has accrued over 38 million views on TikTok.

However what, precisely, is Group 7? Right here's every thing you have to know concerning the development.

Who’s Sophia James?

James competed on American Idol season 18 in 2020, initially underneath the identify Sophia Wackerman earlier than altering her surname on the prompting of the judges. She carried out songs like Nick Jonas' "Ranges," Maggie Rogers' "Burning," and the Seashore Boys' "In My Room." James finally completed in eleventh place, and Simply Sam emerged victorious within the season's closing episode.

The musician has launched a number of EPs since exiting American Idol, together with 2021's Stand Beneath The Sky, 2022's Traces on the Freeway, and 2024's Clockwork: additionally contributed authentic songs to the brand new season of Phineas and Ferb in addition to the Disney Channel cartoon Hamster and Gretel.

What’s the authentic Group 7 video?

The video that began all of it got here on Friday evening. James designed it as an experiment to research TikTok's algorithm.

"For those who're watching this video, you might be in Group 7," the singer explains within the video. "I’ve posted 7 movies tonight and that is the seventh one. Simply as somewhat science experiment to see what video, what sort of video will get probably the most attain out of the seven. And I don't know what that claims about you, however you're in group 7. Welcome."

The video has amassed over 5 million likes and 230,000 feedback in simply 5 days.

What occurred in Sophia James' different six movies?

James posted seven movies on Friday evening that every assigned viewers to a distinct numerical group. Nonetheless, the opposite six had been much less clear concerning the parameters of the experiment.

The primary video merely featured the singer lip-syncing to the only and dancing with a parking ticket, whereas the second video was solely seven seconds lengthy and featured James discussing how she plans on "profitable" a battle in opposition to the TikTok algorithm. The third video confirmed James opening her parking ticket. Movies 4 and 5 each defined the experiment in on-screen textual content, however featured no dialogue. The sixth video merely stated "You’re in group 6" with no additional context.

"You simply must put up it doesn’t matter what it’s — it's actually amount over high quality," James informed The New York Instances. "And so in my pursuit to get my music heard, I've actually been attempting all of those completely different methods."

She continued, "I awoke the subsequent morning and you understand, like Alakazam, the Group 7 video had hit the algorithm, and other people simply made it explode, and it grew to become this hilarious, surprising web second."

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How did Group 7 change into a development?

Customers who discovered the unique video rapidly (and, in lots of circumstances, considerably paradoxically) embraced their standing as members of the group, flocking to the remark part of James' video and making their very own posts in response.

A lot of the movies about Group 7 have hyperbolically reveled within the glory of becoming a member of an elite group of TikTok customers, with huge accounts just like the Empire State Constructing and the PGA Tour posting movies of individuals enthusiastically celebrating with the caption "The way it feels to be group 7." Celebrities who’ve joined in on the enjoyable embrace Malala Yousafza, Madelyn Cline, and Dancing With the Stars professional Ezra Sosa.

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What did James put up after the Group 7 video went viral?

James' later movies investigated if the Group 7's preliminary virality had any have an effect on on customers being served her subsequent posts. "Step 2 of the experiment: attempting to see if utilizing one other music will nonetheless attain Group 7," James wrote in a video that includes a distinct music.

The singer additionally puffed up the members of Group 7, writing captions like "The sense of camaraderie is unmatched" and "Candy desires Group 7" in later movies

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