Sophia James made seven videos to promote her new song “So Unfair,” and one of them inadvertently launched a trend.

American Idol alum’s ‘Group 7’ TikTok experiment goes viral — what you need to know

Sophia James made seven videos to promote her new song "So Unfair," and one of them inadvertently launched a trend.

By Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at **. He began writing for EW in 2022.

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October 22, 2025 6:37 p.m. ET

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Sophia James. Credit:

Sophia James/Instagram

- Sophia James began a TikTok experiment by posting seven videos promoting the same song to test the platform's algorithm.

- The seventh video, now known as "Group 7," has received over 38 million views.

- James competed on *American Idol* in 2020, and is now promoting her song "So Unfair."

If you're reading this, you are in Group 7. Or are you?

A video by 26-year-old musician and *American Idol* alum Sophia James has taken TikTok by storm. The video, captioned "Group 7 who are you," promoted the singer's new song "So Unfair," and has accrued over 38 million views on TikTok.

But what, exactly, is Group 7? Here's everything you need to know about the trend.

Who is Sophia James?

James competed on *American Idol* season 18 in 2020, originally under the name Sophia Wackerman before changing her surname at the prompting of the judges. She performed songs like Nick Jonas' "Levels," Maggie Rogers' "Burning," and the Beach Boys' "In My Room." James ultimately finished in 11th place, and Just Sam emerged victorious in the season's final episode.

The musician has released several EPs since exiting *American Idol*, including 2021's *Stand Beneath The Sky*, 2022's *Lines on the Freeway*, and 2024's *Clockwork*: also contributed original songs to the new season of *Phineas and Ferb* as well as the Disney Channel cartoon *Hamster and Gretel*.

Sophia James on TikTok.

Sophia James/TikTok

What is the original Group 7 video?

The video that started it all came on Friday night. James designed it as an experiment to investigate TikTok's algorithm.

"If you're watching this video, you are in Group 7," the singer explains in the video. "I have posted 7 videos tonight and this is the seventh one. Just as a little science experiment to see what video, what kind of video gets the most reach out of the seven. And I don't know what that says about you, but you're in group 7. Welcome."

The video has amassed over 5 million likes and 230,000 comments in just five days.

What happened in Sophia James’ other six videos?

James posted seven videos on Friday night that each assigned viewers to a different numerical group. However, the other six were less clear about the parameters of the experiment.

The first video simply featured the singer lip-syncing to the single and dancing with a parking ticket, while the second video was only seven seconds long and featured James discussing how she plans on "winning" a battle against the TikTok algorithm. The third video showed James opening her parking ticket. Videos four and five both explained the experiment in on-screen text, but featured no dialogue. The sixth video simply said "You are in group 6" with no further context.

"You just have to post no matter what it is — it's really quantity over quality," James told *The New York Times*. "And so in my pursuit to get my music heard, I've really been trying all of these different strategies."

She continued, "I woke up the next morning and you know, like *Alakazam*, the Group 7 video had hit the algorithm, and people just made it explode, and it became this hilarious, unexpected internet moment."

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How did Group 7 become a trend?

Users who found the original video quickly (and, in many cases, somewhat ironically) embraced their status as members of the group, flocking to the comment section of James' video and making their own posts in response.

Most of the videos about Group 7 have hyperbolically reveled in the glory of joining an elite group of TikTok users, with massive accounts like the Empire State Building and the PGA Tour posting videos of people enthusiastically celebrating with the caption "How it feels to be group 7." Celebrities who have joined in on the fun include Malala Yousafza, Madelyn Cline, and *Dancing With the Stars* pro Ezra Sosa.

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.***

Sophia James on 'American Idol' in 2020.

What did James post after the Group 7 video went viral?

James' later videos investigated if the Group 7's initial virality had any affect on users being served her subsequent posts. "Step 2 of the experiment: trying to see if using another song will still reach Group 7," James wrote in a video featuring a different song.

The singer also hyped up the members of Group 7, writing captions like "The sense of camaraderie is unmatched" and "Sweet dreams Group 7" in later videos**

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Source: “AOL Music”