I first became aware of the quartet known as Boy Throb through a captivating, leaked clip of the group performing at a retirement home. “What is happening in my grandma’s nursing home rn,” the caption reads. In the video, the group is covering Hilary Duff’s “What Dreams Are Made Of” in matching pink velour tracksuits, as one member, Darshan Magdum (based in India), joins via Skype on a laptop.
Each member has crossed my feed at one point or another over the years, most often Evan Papier, a singer whose passionate song covers were a staple of COVID-era TikTok. Then there’s Anthony Key, a vocalist and cosplayer whose 2021 American Idol audition made waves, and Zachary, a Berklee-trained guitarist and violinist who is very committed to posting daily dance videos on TikTok.
But the group’s beating heart is Darshan, a singer who shot to TikTok prominence last year with covers of Doja Cat and Maroon 5. While the rest of the group moved from their respective hometowns into a shared house in L.A., Darshan (lacking a work visa) has been unable to join them. Per the advice of an immigration lawyer (who’s a recurring character in Boy Throb videos), they asked fans to get them to one million followers to help establish legitimacy. They hit that milestone exactly one month after posting their first video. But it still wasn’t enough to convince U.S. immigration to approve Darshan’s application. So that journey continues.
Boy Throb’s distinct visual identity and quirky video editing style have made many question the authenticity of their efforts. Persistent theories claim the group is the handiwork of viral stunt artist Anthony Po, the brain behind NYC’s iconic 2024 Timothée Chalamet lookalike competition—rumors the group vehemently denies. They take offense to allegations that the band itself is a satirical joke, but the speculation endures, mostly because their eccentricity does yield some undeniably comedic content.
What is real, without question, is the fervent fan support they’ve amassed in just under two months. And it’s support that the group takes very seriously. They’ve allowed their fans (“Throbbers”) to play a significant role in their early development. Followers voted on the group’s name (“Boy Throb” beat out other popular suggestions like “DAZE,” “Darshan and the Whites,” and the obviously problematic “Epstein’s Angels”). And now the band hopes that same fandom will help them achieve their most pressing goal: getting Darshan to the States so they can pursue a Grammy, or world domination, whichever comes first—together, in person.
Even if Boy Throb were one long-winded gag, who's the butt of the joke? A lack of sincerity wouldn’t negate the hard work, time, and effort the group has put into making music and videos that people genuinely cherish. So how exactly did Boy Throb—a band that hit one million followers in under two months, brought together viral personalities from disparate corners of the internet, and revived the kitschy late '90s-esque performance style of yore —come to be? Ahead of the release of their debut original single, “Finger,” we sat down with three of the four members (Darshan was unable to join due to the time difference) to find out.
How did each of you get involved in the group?
Evan: I did American Idol. I saw Anthony was on the show, and I was so frustrated that they never aired my audition. We started talking because I just wanted someone to vent with about the process. Then we found Darshan and Zach online.
Anthony: Evan and I have been solo artists for a while, and we thought that to really get to the next level, we should start a group. We wanted to really think outside the box and do a boy band, but to be different than all the bands before us. We came across Darshan, and he was killing it in India. We were like: Let’s bring this guy into the band...but he doesn’t have a visa to get into the country. And we also wanted to find a bass singer, that’s Zach. It all just kind of fell into our lap.
Zachary: I was all in. I actually went to Berklee for guitar. It’s my principal instrument, and I studied music production there. But I’ve been playing music all my life.
In every group, every member has their own respective strengths. What would you guys define each of your strengths as?
Anthony: I think Darshan definitely brings the mystery. A lot of bands are like, here we are, here’s our music, and that’s it. But Darshan brings a storyline that people can be a part of.
Zach: And he’s hitting all those high notes for us.
Evan: I bring the diva energy. Anthony brings that like, Justin Timberlake vibe, and I bring that Rihanna vibe. I’m an openly gay person. There are barely any boy bands that've had members who have been open about that when they start. We're not a typical boy band with conveniently attractive people who all look alike. It doesn’t look like we’re put together on, like, The X Factor. We’re all different people. We all have different strengths, and I think we all complement each other so well.
So you all connected exclusively via social media?
Evan: Yeah. I had this huge wave of virality back in 2020 that made people misinterpret me as a joke. And I know that’s happening again here. People are asking if Boy Throb is satirical. When you’re serious about music, you do what you can to get your music heard, and right now, we’re doing what we can to get our single heard. People are now like, Oh, I’m non-ironically listening to you guys now, and that makes me so appreciative. We are having fun, and we don’t take ourselves too seriously, but at the end of the day, our goal is to get Darshan to the USA. Our goal is to win a Grammy, be a touring band, and have that One Direction experience.
What do you think that speculation is rooted in? Why do you think people are so keen to frame this all as one grand scheme?
Evan: I think it’s just the way our generation is. People want to look into every single detail of everything these days. Think of Swifties. They're better than detectives. The people trying to figure out how Boy Throb happened just want to feel like they’re part of it. When they’re trying to find all these answers, it feels interactive. Throbbers are like Swifties at this point.
Do you think that any part of your branding supports their speculation? You mentioned you’re doing anything you can to get your music out there. Do you adopt certain aesthetics that might be easier for people not to take seriously?
Evan: We are showing off serious vocals and choreography in our videos, but we’re also having fun. We’re not, like, taking ourselves so seriously, but we’re still serious about the craft. So it’s a balance there.
A lot of people online think your group is linked to the creator Anthony Po. How do you guys think that theory came about?
Anthony: There is no correlation. Breaking news! And that’s a little insulting, because why can’t this be our project? Why does everything always have to be backed by this very famous creator or something?
Evan: Yeah, I’m gonna be so honest. This may be shade, but when they mentioned AntPo, I actually didn’t know who that was. I’m not chronically online like that.
Zach: I did see people saying his projects always have an end goal in mind. And by that definition, we have an end goal too: to tour and make music and get Darshan to the USA. So I guess it makes sense why they might think that. But there’s no connection.
What are the biggest hurdles you’ve run into working with one member remotely from India?
Evan: Having him record his part of the single was definitely a hurdle. The time difference, too. It’s a mind meld, trying to figure out when we can all meet on calls together.
The immigration lawyer who's helping you guys bring Darshan here pops up in a lot of your content. How did you guys convince her to participate? Is that the real lawyer or an actor?
Evan: She’s a family friend of mine who's been helping us with this stuff, and she’s been so down to be in our project as well, because she wants to help Darshan get his visa. She’s a lawyer who likes to have fun as well, someone who takes her job seriously but also enjoys our craft.
Were you guys anticipating that retirement home performance to blow up in the way that it did?
Anthony: No way. No way. Our account went from nonexistent to a million followers within a month. We thought we would probably get 10,000 in that timeframe; we’re lucky. I feel like we broke some kind of record. We’re building a family.
Evan: I used to perform in nursing homes when I was younger. I did that for, like, seven years. So it felt like a home base for me, like a natural place to perform. So it was a great first opportunity.
Boy Throb was a fan-sourced band name. Was there any hesitation there? Obviously, it’s slightly suggestive.
Anthony: What? No. I have no idea what you’re talking about.
Evan: Like Taylor Swift’s “Wood,” completely clean. But yeah, I was the one who probably had the most hesitance with that. It didn’t feel the most humble, but it’s so camp. And I grew up in that era of Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and Rihanna. This is camp. We are camp, and we’re bringing camp back with this name.
Zach: I like the name. Honestly, I do too.
Anthony: We had this idea to let the audience name our band. So for me, there was all this, like, anticipation about what we were going to be called and what the public was gonna come up with. So when we saw Boy Throb, we were like, oh, there we go.
Your first single, “Finger,” was just released. After doing covers for so long, what was the pressure like surrounding your first original track?
Anthony: I don’t think I was even nervous at that point. Because of all the parody songs we did, everyone was thinking we were satire, so this is the moment to break free from that.
Evan: I have an emotionally painful connection with “Finger” because I have been polarizing on the internet for a long time for just being myself. This song is a self-empowerment anthem that captures everything that I’ve been through. It’s so nice to be able to say screw you to the people who say you’re never going to get anywhere, because that’s what I’ve been told a lot.
[I'm happy] our first single is a self-empowerment anthem, because a lot of current music is focused on romantic breakups. As someone who’s never been in a relationship before, I can’t really relate to that sort of stuff. So songs that are just about yourself, and finding that love for yourself, really just came to us.
Zach: The song’s about all the haters and bullies from our past, so it’s gonna feel really nice to have it out in the world.
How old are you guys?
Zach: We talked about it as a group, and we've decided not to comment on our ages.
What led to that decision?
Evan: I think it’s the judgment people can have based on how old someone is, especially in this day and age. Not pinpointing our age lets people see us for our talent.
Anthony: When you say your age, you stamp a number on your forehead, and that’s what people see. We just want to break free of that.
Who are your guys’ main musical influences?
Anthony: I grew up very close to Gary, Indiana, so I’m from Northwest Indiana. The Jackson Five—it’s in the air. So, of course, Michael Jackson. I also loved N’SYNC and Justin Timberlake. When I was a little toddler, I’d see his ramen noodle hair and think, I want to be just like him one day.
Evan: I was raised on divas. Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga. I love the female artists who just put themselves out there.
Zach: With my instrumental background, I’m inspired by a lot of guitarists, and I’m inspired by K-pop groups.
Evan: We want to be able to show off our voices more in our music while still dancing, and I think “Finger” lets us do that, especially with the bass that Zach has in his part, the falsettos that Darshan and I do, and Anthony’s high register in the chorus. It’s such a different debut single.
Evan: I want to clear this up because I don’t want to sound pretentious. But when we’re saying things like we want to win a Grammy, we’re being very tongue-in-cheek. I’ve been following the Grammys for such a long time, and I know how high of an honor that is. That is 100% our goal. We don’t want it to seem like we don’t respect what the Grammys are. We’re going to work hard till we get one.
Before I leave you, I wanted to read you guys Google’s AI summary for Boy Throb to see if you have any suggested tweaks.
“Boy Throb” is the name of a viral TikTok boyband formed by Evan Papier, Anthony Key, Zachary Sabania, and Darshan Magdum, who gained massive online fame by documenting their quest to get an American visa for their Indian member, Darshan, with a goal of winning a Grammy, becoming a cultural phenomenon known for their “brainrot” aesthetic and ironic ’90s boyband vibe.”
Evan: I don’t like “brainrot.” People love to laugh at other people. And they laugh at other people when they don’t have the courage to do something themselves. We’re putting ourselves out there, and we’re doing it for a good cause: getting our fourth member to the US. We’re not doing this as a joke. We’re just having fun along the way. Look at Lady Gaga’s meat dress. Was that the most serious thing ever? No. But was it artistically incredible? Yes. We’re trying to be different, and different sells in this industry.
