Internet Culture

‘I want to go home’: Viral TikTok sound originated with Nigerian gospel group

A sound for the introverts.

Photo of Audra Schroeder

Audra Schroeder

Young girl singing with That One Sound From TikTok logo
That One Sound is a column from internet culture reporter Charlotte Colombo that explores the origin of popular sounds heard on TikTok.
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Did we stop doing the “song of the summer” during the pandemic? Viral TikTok songs come and go so fast there could be 10 at this point. This week’s sound might just be a contender, though.

The sound

The audio is of a young girl singing, “I want to go home.” The original TikTok was posted by meme account esosaadun1 on May 8, and it has more than 3.4 million views.

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The emotive nature of the sound, which has been used in more than 197,000 videos, makes it perfect for both wistful and truly terrifying content. Or to promote Hot Ones. But mostly it conveys that feeling introverts know all too well. A comment on one TikTok that used the sound: “Putting this as an alarm when im at parties.”

@teatinz

im tryna hit the sheets not the streets

♬ original sound – ESOSA||CONTENT CREATOR
@ace.dadonn It was fine until he said “take these off” -_-#wow ♬ original sound – ESOSA||CONTENT CREATOR
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Where’s it from?

The original TikTok includes a clip of a young girl singing, and it’s apparently from a popular Nigerian family gospel group called Destined Kids, according to Know Your Meme. The song is called “It’s a Holiday” and a longer version was posted to Facebook in 2020. The original 2011 YouTube clip is gone but it was reposted last year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3x1PmulO5k
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The group consisted of six siblings, and it appears they put out solo material as adults, according to the Destined Kids Facebook page. We reached out for comment.

Sound off

This sound is not to be confused with Kevin Hart’s “I want to go home,” which is also popular and conveys the same sentiment.

@4everhiswife__421 #kevinhartcomedy #fyp #iwannagohome ♬ original sound – Tik Toker
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