American Idol Alum's "Group 7" TikTok Experiment Sparks Viral Trend for New Song

In October 2025, 26-year-old musician and American Idol alum Sophia James is making waves on TikTok with a unique experiment to promote her new song "So Unfair." James, who competed on American Idol season 18 in 2020, has released several EPs since then, including 2021's "Stand Beneath The Sky," 2022's "Lines on the Freeway," and 2024's "Clockwork."

Last Friday, James posted a series of 7 videos on TikTok, each assigning viewers to a different numerical group. The seventh video, captioned "Group 7 who are you," has since gone viral, accumulating over 38 million views in just 5 days. In the video, James explains her "little science experiment" to investigate TikTok's algorithm, telling viewers "If you're watching this video, you are in Group 7."

Users who discovered the original video quickly embraced their status as members of the elite "Group 7," with many making their own posts celebrating the distinction. The trend has even caught the attention of major accounts like the Empire State Building and the PGA Tour, who have posted videos of people enthusiastically reveling in their Group 7 membership.

James has continued to explore the impact of her algorithm experiment, posting follow-up videos to see if the initial virality of the Group 7 video affected the reach of her subsequent posts. The singer has also hyped up the members of Group 7, writing captions like "The sense of camaraderie is unmatched" and "Sweet dreams Group 7."