Learn more about the family band with an undeniable passion for music!
SM6 is a “hard-hitting electropop band” consisting of (you guessed it) 6 members. George, Isabel, Adam, Emily, Eliana, and Jack may be known for their presence on TikTok, but they’re showing the world that they have the drive, devotion, and unity to breakthrough as a group. From overcoming hate comments online, to then going on multiple national tours, SM6 is proof that other people’s words do not define you, your journey, or what you’re capable of.
We were lucky enough to chat with them at Vidcon 2022 to learn more about their rise to social media fame, as well as music and new projects. Check out the interview below!
As we start to ease out of the pandemic, have you seen any cool or fun ways fans have connected with your music, especially when you weren’t able to see them live or in person?
Adam: It’s so bizarre because our TikTok blew up at the start of the pandemic. So right when everything started getting shut down, I think everyone turned towards TikTok for entertainment and we were so lucky and so fortunate enough for our account to skyrocket! But we were locked away so we never got to see anything [physically]. And now that it’s finally coming to an end, and we can finally go out to meet everybody, it’s been so surreal. It’s like nothing’s kicked in for us at all.
I‘ve noticed that’s a common feeling with a lot of TikTokers and content creators.
Adam: We’ve talked to a lot of people and they’re all on the same page as us!
George: And last summer we went on our first debut tour, and a lot of fans that we’d been interacting with through the screen we finally got to see in person, which was really cool. It was great.
You’re hitting the road on the Boys of Summer tour! What are you looking forward to the most? Are there any fan experiences you’re super excited for?
Isabel: I’m just really excited to get back out there! We’ve done two national tours already and this is gonna be the third one. I’m just really excited to do this again.
Emily: To be able to perform onstage and meet fans and new people that may not know us.
Adam: This is a primarily East Coast tour, so we’re going to cities we’ve never been to before! We don’t usually travel on the East Coast too much so we get to see a lot of new scenery and new people.
You’ve received a lot of success through TikTok. How do you find and create inspiration for the next post?
Adam: We’ve posted twice a day, every single day, for the past three years! It’s hard sometimes to keep coming up with original content and pumping that out while keeping the passion there. So I think just having fun is the most important thing. Everybody says “Have fun when you’re creating content” but it really is so true.
Emily: You can see that through the screen.
Adam: It really translates and you can see when you’re trying too hard or overthinking, verses when you make something and you can’t stop laughing when you post it. You can feel that authenticity through the screen.
You said you guys post about 2-3 times a day. How do you go about not burning yourselves out?
Isabel: It’s funny because some days we have absolutely no ideas, but there’s six of us here so if one person doesn’t have an idea, someone’s got something.
Adam: One’s bound to be in the vibe to create something excellent that day! And we just started a new TikTok account that’s centered around us as musicians. We post to that just once a day.
Isabel: It really helps that there’s six of us on one account, and we’re able to bounce ideas off of each other. And while uploading two posts everyday for three years, we’ve never stopped.
I’ve been loving “Panic”. Can you talk more about the song, and how the concept of it came to be?
Isabel: It started when I was going through a rough point where I wanted to come out as part of the [LGBTQ+] community on social media, but I was a little bit nervous about what people would say and think. “Panic” is just about what was going through my head at the time and how I was really nervous. We were actually debating on whether to release the song because I was like it’s so personal but I feel like there’s a lot of people that can relate to it. I want them to know that they’re not alone, and it’s okay to be scared but you shouldn’t let fear control you.
Knowing that this song is so personal to you, can you walk us through what the filming process for the music video like?
Isabel: It’s really funny because when we were trying to come up with a concept for this video, we didn’t want it to be something that we’ve seen before. We wanted it to be something that everyone can resonate with but also shows the personal story. We ended up doing it where [the scene is] playing spin the bottle. It ends up landing on a girl and now I’m kind of freaking out. Then it goes into this whole music thing where we’ve got these awesome sets of what’s going on in my head. We’ve got a box and we’ve got newspaper rooms that show what everyone says about you. Also, the flashes show how your heart starts racing.
Adam: It was originally Emily and Isabel that came up with the idea!
Isabel: It was!
Emily: I was just joking around like “Hey, what if we just did spin the bottle?!” Then we all were like “Wait a second! We’ve got something here!”
Isabel: It’s a different idea and we’ve never seen it. I just love how it all came together!
As rising artists, what are a few goals you hope to accomplish within your career/s?
Adam: To be touring musicians, and to go out and meet everybody. The end goal for us was always to be a worldwide touring band even before we jumped on social media. We started in hopes that it would translate into our future as musicians and it definitely has!
Isabel: We’ve been told so many times that you’ve gotta have social media to be an artist these days. So we picked up social media and I’m so thankful it took off, and now we’re able to start this whole touring thing because of that. It’s national right now, but of course we would LOVE to go worldwide. That would be awesome!
What has been the most rewarding aspect about making music as a family?
Adam: To do this job all together, I think it’s brought us a lot closer. Before the band, we were all talking about going to separate colleges, schools, and different careers because before, this was more of a hobby of ours. But once we started taking this seriously and realized we wanted to do this for our life, it really brought us together. We get to spend every moment together.
Isabel: I can’t imagine all of us across the country in different places.
Emily: That’s part of the reason why I love doing this so much because we’re all so close like best friends! We get to experience and meet new people, travel, and do what we love together.
George: And it’s cool to see people relate to the songs we put out, too. Also people coming up to us during tour like “Hey, we love your song” or some people say it changed their life– it’s an amazing feeling!
Eliana: I love that our music has that positive effect on people. That’s the reason we want to do this for the rest of our lives!
Which of your songs, new or old, do you resonate the most with and why?
Adam: I really resonate with “Panic” from the perspective of anxiety and stuff. I think every influencer, and person as a whole, has anxiety. You’re definitely under a magnifying glass when you’re on social media. I really relate to the lyrics in it from that perspective.
Emily: I was gonna say the exact same thing!
George: I think we all were!
Isabel: I think I’m torn between “Panic” and “Oddity”. We wrote “Oddity” when we first blew up on social media and there were nothing but hate comments. There was nothing positive at all! So “Oddity” came from that experience on social media, and just embracing who you are. Yeah I’m weird, but that’s okay.
Eliana: I’m pretty much the same–tied between “Panic” and “Oddity”. Isabel pretty much explained everything, but “Oddity” is from when we blew up in Boston back in 2020. I didn’t really feel like I fit in and I wasn’t really sure where I fit in. So “Oddity” was helping me to embrace that I am odd and it’s okay to be different. I really agree with Adam and Emily because today you’re under a microscope just by being online. You can try being perfect but as soon as those hate comments start rolling in, you start to panic, but you just have to embrace who you are.
Jack: I really resonate with our song “Perfect” because when we were writing it, it was also for me–I didn’t tell you guys this. But I was thinking in my mind “Is this what I’m doing for a living? Is this what I want to do?” All the hate comments and mean things people say about us makes me resonate with the song because it’s a constant reminder to remember that you’re perfect whoever you are.
George: I love “Panic” for the same reasons you guys do. But I also really like “Never” because that’s our first song we’ve ever written together when we were back in Chicago. From there it just spread.
Emily: That’s a fun one to perform!
George: Yeah it’s fun to perform. It takes us back!
To go off of that– what’s everyone’s favorite song to perform live?
Jack: Dibs on “Panic”!
George: “New” is pretty fun.
Emily: “Oddity”.
Eliana: I gotta agree with you Emily!
Isabel: I love to play “MIA” because I don’t play the bass on that and I’m completely free on the stage to jump around and stuff.
George: I also like “Oddity” because I’m switching between different instruments. On the keyboard I’m playing like an orogen thing, then piano, then a string part. It’s a fun one!
Anything you would like to add?
Adam: Follow our Spotify!
Isabel: And we also have a movie coming out! It’s our first full feature film.
Adam: We just finished filming in March. That should be coming out later this year! We’re not sure how much we can say just yet but it’s not a documentary– it’s an actual movie with acting in it.
To keep up with all things SM6, be sure to check out their website, Instagram, their verified TikTok page + their music page, as well as on Youtube and Twitter.
Tonight Mag 