Moving at the speed of social: ‘Man in finance’ TikTok trend erupts as remix hits Spotify
The catchy tongue-in-cheek rhyme that’s taken TikTok by storm this spring was remixed into a full-blown electronic track that debuted on Spotify on Friday. The development evidences the power of capitalizing on culture. This story is part of Tik-Talks, The Drum’s special content series developed in partnership with online social media insight and trend-spotting platform Shooglebox.
/ Megan Boni
At The Drum Live event in New York earlier this month, Gary Vaynerchuk called on the advertising industry to learn from and embrace the approach of the best creators on TikTok and social media.
These platforms, he said, operate as true meritocracies where the most creative, engaging content rises to the top and gets attention, regardless of who the creator is.
We’ve been looking at some of the latest examples of the way the germ of a creative idea can take off on TikTok overnight and spread like wildfire.
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If you’ve been on TikTok in the last week or so, chances are you’ll have an earworm of a song in your head that’s come to be called Man in Finance.
@girl_on_couch Can someone make this into an actual song plz just for funzies
The beat originated with an April 30 post from TikToker Megan Boni – or @girl_on_couch, as she’s known on the platform. With a text overlay reading, “Did I just write the song of summer?,” the original video sees Boni rapping the lyrics: “I’m looking for a man in finance. Trust fund. 6’5”. Blue eyes.” The post’s caption reads: “Can someone make this into an actual song plz just for funzies.” Now, the video has garnered more than 20m views – and TikTok musicians and creators have moved fast to take up the challenge, overlaying the audio on their own videos and images, remixing the beat and adding their own spins.
@vandelux #stitch with @Girl On Couch here you goooo @sarah ♬ original sound - Vandelux
Musician and producer Vandelux was one of the first, dropping his own rendition of the track after calling the simple rhyme “a bop.”
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Soon, a flood of dance, electropop and trance versions followed.
@rubythepookie I had an ideaaaa ✨
One of the most popular remixes is the one above, which samples the 2010 Fast East Movement hit song Like a G6. The writer of the song took to TikTok to say, “I’m not a fan of finance bros, nor do I enjoy being in the presence of the people who pursue them … but I can’t lie – it does kinda slap.”
@raqdegelman Where are the younger brokers at?! #financeteam ♬ Looking for a man tima remix - Tima Pages
TikTok users began using the different versions of the song as sounds in videos of their own, and predicting that it really will become the song of the summer. Many users have called for it to be released officially.
And on Friday, May 17, Boni, the original creator, teamed up with British music producers and songwriting duo Billen Ted to release the single Man in Finance (G6 Trust Fund) on all the leading streaming services, including Spotify.
@m00bie MOOBIE MIX #caesarsalit ♬ original sound - m00bie
Meanwhile, the trend has taken on a life of its own with the community-driven creativity spawning countless variations: ‘I’m looking for a man in IT’; ‘I’m looking for a girl into witchcraft’; ‘I’m looking for the WiFi network’; ‘I’m looking for a Caesar Salad’ and more.
@maxedoutmommy Assuming normal distribution across the board, assuming i.i.d.…its not looking good @Girl On Couch #summersong #finance #trustfund #remix ♬ original sound - Rae | Unhinged PowerPoints
It’s even got mathematicians and everyday users arguing about the probability of finding a 6’5” man in finance with a trust fund and blue eyes. One TikTok comedian calculates that only two men in the US fit the bill – prompting heated debate in the comments about how statistics work.
@royalmail 6ft, short hair, red shirt, parcels. Did we just write the #relatable song of the summer? @Girl On Couch #postie #finance #songofthesummer #imlookingforamaninfinance #remix ♬ original sound - Royal Mail
Brands and businesses have been joining in on the fun, too. The Royal Mail’s ‘I’m looking for a man with parcels’ had users saying their “social team killed it” and sharing comments like, “I get so excited seeing old big companies’ funny adverts on TT!!”
Explore this Shooglebox full of Man in Finance remixes and spinoffs to see the wide variety of ways in which the song is spreading in all sorts of directions on TikTok. This collection was assembled by the team at Shooglebox, which manages the company’s Buzz service – designed to help brands’ marketing and PR team spot, understand and explore emerging trends.