WITH ONE OF the most debaucherous prayers in 21st-century pop culture-"Hello, Christ, I'm 'bout to sin again!"-Flyana Boss's "You Wish" has become the Bat-Signal for Black alt-girls across the internet. The duo behind the hit, Detroit's Bobbi LaNea and Dallas's Folayan, have been working the TikTok algorithm to the bone all summer, posting short clips of themselves sprinting through various locations-Disneyland, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and, more recently, the Google offices-while spitting the record and inspiring DIY re-creations. The pair first bonded at the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles and went on to make music separately for more than half a decade before reuniting as Flyana Boss, an ode to Diana Ross, in 2019. This June's "You Wish" is the product of a dashing approach to brand building.
At TikTok, it feels like the people who turn the knobs and press the buttons see creators who are doing things consistently and they're like, "Yo, they are not just attracted to the platform but want to build their own shit on it." And so they'll push it when they see the work is being done.
BOBBI LANEA: I was convinced there was some sort of viral button they pressed to make this shit go off.
FOLAYAN: I think it's all us!
B.L.: So when we were at the TikTok office recently, I asked. And they said, "No, we don't know how things pop off." I said, "Do you know why we're getting a million views every video?" They're like, "It's engaging..."
F.: We were like, "Okay, so what should we do?" They're just like, "Do what you're doing," literally.
What was the first thing to pop off?
This story is from the August 14 - 27, 2023 edition of New York magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 14 - 27, 2023 edition of New York magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
What Did Brooklyn Bridge Park Get So Right?
Nearly 20 years after we broke ground, it's more impressive than ever.
No Man's Land
Rachel Cusk's gender fundamentalism fully surfaces in her latest novel, Parade.
Faust Goes to Fidi
The producers of Sleep No More are back with the whirlwind immersive-theater project Life and Trust.
The Renegade
June Squibb has the perfect first lead role: a granny gone rogue.
The Empty Seat
At Paris Couture Week, one question everyone's lips: Who will lead Chanel?
The Hidden Dutch Colonial
When Nicholas Howey and his late husband, Gerard Widdershoven, bought this 1925 house tucked away behind the hedges in Bridgehampton, they did little more than paint it-and fill it with art.
The Next Shishito?
Jimmy Nardello peppers, long beloved by chefs, are set to break out.
The Shrimp Show
San Sabino makes maximalist seafood for the social-media age.
The WEIGHT of a BOEING 787
Mitch Barnett spent years fighting one of the world's largest aircraft manufacturers. It cost him his life.
By age 43, I'd come up with many explanations for my perpetual strangeness with other people. - Then the autism diagnosis arrived.
SIX YEARS AGO, my now-husband, Sam, asked my father if he could marry me.