This is the 15th post in the “A Conversation With” series, where I interview smart humans about their experiences in marketing and social media. You can read past features here.

This month, I interviewed Erica Allen-Lubman (they/she), a talented musician who goes by Boy Jr. and has gained a following of 291,000 on TikTok with their hilarious, creative videos. In this blog post, we dive into how to get started on TikTok, tips for getting your videos to take off, and how to deal with the mental health impact of growing a large following online.

Tell me about your journey as a musician. How would you describe Boy Jr. to people who haven’t heard your stuff before?

I’ve been writing songs since I was 11 or 12. I got more serious about composing in high school and went to college for songwriting. I started performing as Boy Jr. in 2015 a little bit and then more seriously in 2018.

My music encompasses a lot–I have my serious music that I’m releasing, including an upcoming single and an album in June. It’s fun, experimental, a blend of pop and rock. I also experiment a lot with TikTok content including covers, short videos based around music themes, and more. It started as a way to keep growing as a writer and producer.

What have you done to market your music in the past?

I was playing a ton of live shows after I graduated college. It was a fun way to meet people and get myself out there. I planned a whole small tour in 2019 and did a lot more grassroots, independent stuff. Then the internet took over! I’ve mostly marketed my music on Instagram.

What sparked your decision to create content for TikTok? What was it like at first?

I first downloaded TikTok because it seemed interesting to explore. I didn’t make any serious effort to make music content at first, I was just getting the hang of how to use it. I started getting ideas for shorter videos, where I knew I could complete the idea. The time limit was low at first, about 30 seconds or maybe a minute. It was a lower barrier to entry than YouTube, since YouTube content has to be more polished. TikTok let me document ideas as I was exploring them. It’s allowed me to show people who were already paying attention another side of myself, and introduce my music to a new people.

What misconceptions do people have about TikTok? What surprised you about the platform?

The biggest misconception is that it’s only for young people. Some people also think that there’s no way to be genuine on the app and it’s all cringe, or that by using it you’re selling out. On the flipside, some people think you have to post on TikTok even if you’re an established artist with records that have made money, and that’s not really true either.

As for what surprised me, I enjoy it for the ability to learn new things and get insight into people’s interests. I learn so much new stuff and get a lot of good ideas! It’s helped me brush up on production stuff too. Seeing something in the right way at the right time can help generate a new idea. And the app has introduced me to some of my best friends at the moment!

What inspires your videos? How does a TikTok come to be?

A little wizard comes into my brain and curses me with an idea. I have a running list of ideas on my phone–sometimes crossover tracks or topics I’d like to express in song form. I’ll try out new production or songwriting techniques. It’s like trying to capture lightning in a bottle. It feels like I have to make the idea in the amount of time it would take someone to watch the TikTok.

It’s a good challenge to limit myself–both in the resources going into making the track and the amount of time I spend on it. I need to pull the very essence of what I’m trying to represent.

What’s your favorite TikTok you’ve made, the one you’re most proud of?

I’m proud of some of the videos that haven’t gotten as popular. I’m still proud of the popular stuff too, just for different reasons! Some of the ones I’m most proud of are covers done in the style of artists that are important to me, or ones I didn’t think I could emulate their style.

In the past, I put more effort into visuals. I love dressing up and feel very excited and comfortable presenting myself as someone else. I get totally into character! Then if it’s awkward, hey, it’s somebody else! I used to go all-out cosplaying artists and had a lot of fun. I’m trying to remember that it’s not all about a video doing numbers, it’s about the effort put into making the track and getting more comfortable being myself.

Is there any one thing that helps a video pick up traction on TikTok?

Making a blatant mistake! People come to your comments to correct you. Or when you don’t go all the way with a joke, and others finish it in the comments. Or a listicle and you accidentally leave out some key element and people are like “you forgot this!”

Also, it’s about effectively expressing information. I try to stick to a format that keeps in mind the way we’re used to consuming stories and ads. I aim to make my videos as streamlined as I can in that sense. If you use an existing format, like “What if X song was by Y artist?” people can understand what you’re doing more easily.

What are the high and low points of a video going viral?

The high points are when creatives I admire find my content and say they’ve enjoyed it, or use something I’ve made and do something derivative of it. My perfectionism song has been used tens of thousands of times now! It’s really really cool to see people in different niches talking about important issues and their life experiences all because they connected with my 13 second sound.

The low points are when I have to turn the comments off, like my Mr. Brightside video. It made its way to troll TikTok and started taking up all of my notifications page. It was the most basic troll BS, like “this is ass,” or “I hope you never make music again,” or criticizing my body. I’ve been very vocal about how those comments affect me and how you shouldn’t say things like that to people.

What has your experience been with negative/hateful comments? How do you handle them?

Some experiences gave me a pit in my stomach, like when people would stitch my video. They’d take the intro of my “What if Mr. Brightside was a hyperpop song?” and say “What if you got run over by a car?” People would never say that to your face! That’s why people get so visceral. One dude stitched it who is also an artist, and clearly a misogynist, and said “she’s so triggered, #womanmoment.” My original video made people happy! These commenters don’t know me or what I’m all about.

It’s a disturbing reminder of the way people can be. I’ve turned off the comments when necessary, and will rant about it on other social platforms, which starts good conversations. Sometimes I’ve made other funny content based off hate comments. I don’t want other people to come in and see violent words on the screen. I block people all the time!

What’s the hardest part about creating content for TikTok?

The expectations I put on myself and my videos. Being on the platform has brought up a whole new thing that I have to talk to my therapist about regularly. My brain got addicted to big numbers and feels like anything that doesn’t do numbers is a failure. I try to limit how much scrolling I do. My body wants to check how many followers everyone has, but my brain knows I shouldn’t. I want to see everything I post perform well, but I know it’s out of my control and I have to accept that.

How does the need to continually create content for the internet impact you as a musician/creative?

Definitely in equally beneficial and harmful ways that I’m trying to keep in check. A whole vein of creative potential has been unlocked. Before, my only outlet for expression was a three minute song released on a perfect album. I’ve been happy to take some of the pressure off and share pieces of myself and my ideas regularly. It’s fun pushing for new ideas and I’ve been able to grow from it. Sometimes after creating a 30 second song, I’m sick of it anyways and I’m done.

The downside is I can become burnt out in tandem with the self-perpetuating pressure. If everything needs to get popular and is a failure if it doesn’t, then what’s the point? It doesn’t mean anything. I try to remember why I keep doing it. The positive definitely outweighs the negative.

What advice would you give to someone who’s just getting started on TikTok?

Take on bite-sized things, ideas that you want to complete. Seeing them through to completion will bring you joy, and not for anything other than that.

Where can people find you/your music? Tell us all about the new album!

I’m on all the streaming platforms. You can also find me on TikTok, Instagram, Patreon, and Bandcamp.

My single “Hey Sorry” has a pre-save link, which helps songs get buzz for playlists! And my album “Pay Attention to Meeee” is out June 24th. It’s very eclectic and fun! It’s written and produced by me, with mastering by Willie Green.

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