/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/pmn/WCLUZ7XPRJHCJLP3ALY7F3T73I.jpg?ssl=1 "Why is TikTok looking for a man in finance? We explain how the earworm from Megan Boni became a real song")
A man in finance. 6-foot-5. Trust fund. Blue eyes.
That either sounds like a bland Tinder bio or a description of Succession’s Cousin Greg, depending on whom you ask. In reality, the list comprises the hook of a very real contender for song of the summer that began as a viral joke uploaded to TikTok by a self-proclaimed “Philly girl.”
Megan Boni — who goes by Girl on Couch on TikTok — posted a video on April 30 of herself repeating that she was “looking for” a man with those exact character traits.
“Can someone make this into an actual song please,” Boni wrote in the caption, “just for funzies.”
Over 41 million views, a miniature record deal, and countless copycat memes later, Boni’s earworm has been transformed into not just a real single, but also a remix by prolific EDM DJ David Guetta that came out Friday.
How did Boni go from part-time content creator to recording artist and finance bro champion? Here’s what you need to know:
Megan Boni, 27, is a New York City-based content creator who makes skits about the mundane reality of a 20-something woman.
In an interview with People magazine, Boni said her social media moniker refers to her “post-work butt-on-couch, TikTok-scrolling unwind routine” and that her brand is about embracing laziness. (Talk about a woman of the people).
Boni graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 2019 with a communications degree, according to her LinkedIn, and recently earned an MBA from Temple University. Boni worked in sales for sports apparel manufacturer Outerstuff until mid-May, when she quit her job to ride the wave of her viral video.
“They were like, ‘We get it! You do you,’” Boni said of her former employer.
Boni has also referred to herself as a “Philly girl” after followers clocked her for posting where she danced around in an Eagles sweatshirt. (Boni responded “Fly Eagles Fly, baby,” after someone asked if she was from here in the comments.)
One of Boni’s first brushes with minor internet fame? A video praying on the downfall of Travis Kelce and singing the Birds’ fight song.
Boni said the video is a joke, not an earnest plea for a suitor.
“I was trying to make fun of those girls who say that they’re not high maintenance or that they want a boyfriend, but then they have a long-a — list of needs that are insane,” Boni told the Today show.
Boni’s catchy chorus also plays on tropes in NYC’s heterosexual dating scene, which some lament has been overrun with — well — 6-foot-5 men in finance who don’t want to settle down. The city was ranked 169 of out of 182 cities when it came to dating friendliness, according to a survey from WalletHub, but some are still coveting the stereotype.
“Please add generational wealth somehow,” commented one TikTok user under Boni’s video. “If it was wrong it wouldn’t be so catchy,” wrote another.
Boni, meanwhile, has a list of more nebulous dating must-haves: Someone who can “handle her,” Boni told the Daily Beast, while balancing out her high energy.
How did the hook become popular — and turn into a real song?
Since Boni posted her hook, more than 39,000 TikToks have used it to create their own wish lists, hype up their partners, and — yes — advertise.
DJs ranging from Nicky Romero and Nicki Minaj collaborator Malibu Babie also created unofficial remixes of Boni’s vocals, capitalizing on the way TikTok has sped up the trend cycle for new music.
Some TikTokers have used Boni’s list to announce their own (half-serious) dating desires.
“Looking for a man in freelance, 5′6, tattoos, Bushwick,” deadpanned a woman in one viral TikTok, conjuring up a picture of a man who would realistically lose to Boni’s creation in a fight. Others have posted in search of men in therapy, men in coffins (because inheritance), or simply men who listen.
The most popular uses of Boni’s vocals, meanwhile, have come from brands glomming onto the trend to promote their products.
Fast-casual chain Just Salad posted a TikTok of suited-up men heading into their Hudson Yards location set to Boni’s song that received over 1.3 million views, seemingly dubbing themselves the official lunch choice of finance bros everywhere. Other standout marketing ploys: the Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime bear (for those looking for sleep), Jimmy Fallon (for those seeking late-night television hosts), the NFL (for those dreaming of dating Joe Burrow).
Despite posting consistently on social media since 2021, Boni told advertising publication AdAge this was the first time she’s been approached by brands, who have been sending her gifts in exchange for posts.
Among Boni’s wares: Magic Eraser sponges from Mr. Clean and free Crocs.
Is it true she landed a record deal?
Technically.
Boni said she had upward of 20 DJs reach out to her after the TikTok went viral, leading her to sign a one-off licensing and distribution deal with Capitol Records. They will work with Boni to sell her vocals to a handful of artists hoping to make official remixes.
The first of those was a version produced by EDM duo Billen Ted that was released last month. Capitol Records executive Zach Elgort called Boni’s song a “marketing dream,” because it worked in the opposite direction of the TikTok teaser, or when artists incessantly promote a snippet of a forthcoming single to gauge interest, often to the point of turning off potential listeners.
In other words, Elgort explained, they didn’t need to spend time testing if Boni’s “Man in Finance” would be a hit because her views already proved it would be.
Still, Boni said “she has no plans of becoming a pop star” and will only produce more music if it’s purely comedic. She hopes to parlay the fame generated from the song into a YouTube channel, she told the Daily Beast, and eventually, an acting career.
This intrepid reporter is currently not on the market. But if she were, her Philadelphia man wish list might look a little something like this:
I’m looking for a man in a union. 5-foot-9. Eagles season tix. And a Shore house.
