SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST:
Every day, millions of people try to game the algorithms in the hunt for social media fame. Occasionally, people find it without even trying.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
THE TONICS: (Singing) Vacation, all I ever wanted.
PFEIFFER: Meet The Tonics. They're an a cappella singing group of mostly suburban dads and grandfathers. NPR's Frank Langfitt has the story on the group's improbable rise from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
THE TONICS: (Vocalizing).
FRANK LANGFITT, BYLINE: These are guys in their - from their 30s to their 70s, and it's a weeknight out in a big house outside of Philadelphia, and they're all reading new sheet music, learning a new song, and they're wearing shorts and polo shirts.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BRANDY")
THE TONICS: (Singing) The sailors say, Brandy...
LANGFITT: America has a lot of post-collegiate a cappella groups.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BRANDY")
THE TONICS: (Singing) What a good wife you would be.
LANGFITT: Like most, The Tonics did not draw a large audience. Last year, they had about 500 followers on Instagram. Then one day in December, they posted a video rehearsing in a circle in a member's island kitchen.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
THE TONICS: (Singing) Give me the beat, boys, and free my soul. I want to get lost in your rock and roll and drift away.
LANGFITT: Youngmoo Kim, the group's music director, explains what happened next.
YOUNGMOO KIM: All of a sudden, I saw that one of our videos had something like 300,000 views. I was expecting 300. And not only that video, other videos were starting to get more and more views - thousands, tens of thousands. We were shocked, and we were like, how did this happen? What is it?
LANGFITT: About nine months later, The Tonics are closing in on 100,000 followers. Their sudden rise began with a social media influencer.
EMILIE HAGEN: My name is Emilie Hagen. I go by emilieknowseverything online, and I'm a comedic journalist on the internet.
LANGFITT: When Hagen stumbled across The Tonics on Instagram, she began promoting them to her more than 130,000 followers. She says the group struck a chord with digital audiences for two reasons.
HAGEN: They felt authentic and wholesome. They didn't feel like they were on the internet to get famous. I felt like they actually cared about their craft.
LANGFITT: Hagen says The Tonics also present a different image of how men get together beyond things like watching sports.
HAGEN: I don't think people knew that there was male a cappella groups that sang in kitchens. I think The Tonics prove that you don't have to be rage baiting people to get attention on the internet. If you just exude joy, you can spread your message that way, too.
LANGFITT: Jim Buck helped found the group with some high school and college buddies in 1990. Now 67, here's Buck singing a Michael Buble song.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
THE TONICS: (Singing) I just haven't met you yet.
LANGFITT: The Tonics are mostly white. Many have gray hair. People post comments on their Instagram page making fun of the group's preppy attire and apparent wealth. Some commentators say The Tonics should change their name. Kim and Buck list a few suggestions.
KIM: LinkedIn Park is one of my favorites. CEO Speedwagon.
JIM BUCK: JP and the Morgans.
KIM: JP and the Morgans.
BUCK: I recall that.
LANGFITT: Another suggestion - FICO and the Scores. Kim and Buck say The Tonics have leaned into the humor.
KIM: We don't take ourselves seriously. We are just not that good.
BUCK: We're not pros.
LANGFITT: The group rehearses Thursday nights and includes several schoolteachers, as well as people in finance and a university vice provost. Richard Chung, a pediatrician, is the group's newest member.
RICHARD CHUNG: The kind of brotherhood type of vibe that we have in the group, I think, is great. The other side part is, my wife has been telling me I need to make more friends, and so this is a good opportunity to do that as well.
LANGFITT: Is Is it helping?
CHUNG: Oh, for sure. You know, I think guys my age - middle age - I think it's hard to find good friends and keep good friends.
LANGFITT: These days, Tonics are occasionally recognized around Philadelphia. More people want to join the group. And Kim says, one lesson of their unexpected success applies online and in real life - just be yourself. Frank Langfitt, NPR News, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
THE TONICS: (Singing) I'll be your friend, I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on. For... Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
