The half-life of the average TikTok trend is shorter than the attention span of an ADHD-addled zoomer without a prescription, but this month, users were blessed with a sound that took over the app for nearly a week: Domingo.
Not since the halcyon days of Hawk Tuah was a sound, a meme, and a bit so omnipresent as Saturday Night Live’s “Bridesmaids” sketch, where Ariana Grande and cast members performed a toast at a wedding to the tune of Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso.”
The bridesmaids, the bride’s lover Domingo, and the groom all became main characters on the timeline. The video is SNL‘s most-watched by far. It has over 101 million views, while its next biggest has 36 million.
But there’s a big problem now. The sound is gone. Visitors to the page see a mute symbol on the video’s thumbnail.
The issue came to light when a user posted a rehearsal clip of Grande and the cast practicing.
TikTok responded to the video, saying, “they don’t even know they’re about to make history.”
To which the original poster filmed a video highlighting the audio’s disappearance.
@jennytuell14 Replying to @TikTok Hey queen glad you’re here WE NEED ANSWERS 😂#domingo #espresso #snl #saturdaynightlive #sabrinacarpenter #arianagrande #marcellohernandez ♬ original sound – Jenny Tuell
“Was the song just too powerful, too popular, was it SNL, was it TikTok, was it Sabrina?” they asked.
“We need to hear it direct from Domingo,” wrote one, using the skit’s catchphrase.
One person speculated that SNL might want to license the actual song, given its virality, and remove it in advance.
“They muted it, because they’re working through the licensing to make it its own stand alone SNL song,” they posited.
But TikTok recently struggled with audio copyright issues. After the site failed to reach a deal with Universal Music Group, the tech giant unceremoniously removed the sound on countless videos.
While Carpenter is signed with Universal Music Group, it’s unclear if that’s what happened.
Some posters thought Carpenter couldn’t handle the song overpowering her original version.
“I think it was Sabrina..Everyone sings SNL version now,” a user wrote.
However, other videos using the sound still have audio, making the removal all the more curious.
TikTok did not respond to an inquiry about the sound.
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