“Break My Stride” Singer Matthew Wilder Is Making The Most His Surprise TikTok Celebrity
Last week we learned “Break My Stride,” a 1983 new wave hit by future Tragic Kingdom producer Matthew Wilder, had become a surprise TikTok sensation. As my colleague Peter Helman explained, it works like this:
You text someone you know with the lyrics to “Break My Stride,” line by line, until they either figure out what’s going on or stop responding. And then you film yourself dancing to the song in front of the text chain. That’s it! That’s the thing!
It seems possible and even likely that the children who use TikTok have moved on from this meme by now, but that hasn’t stopped Wilder himself from jumping into the fray. Today he released a new “Break My Stride” lyric video that alludes to the TikTok trend, presenting the lyrics in iPhone-reminiscent text bubbles. He’s also posted a video message thanking the kids for bringing his song back into the spotlight, recorded on his 67th birthday this past Friday:
Hi, this is Matthew Wilder coming to you from Budapest. It’s my birthday! And I want to thank all the TikTok-ers out there for the wonderful videos that you’ve been doing. It’s amazing that you’ve discovered “Break My Stride,” and rediscovered it. It’s the best gift that you could have possibly given to me.
Wilder then encourages his viewers to follow him on his socials for updates on the new music he’s been working on. One of the networks you can follow him on is TikTok, where he has of course made his own “Break My Stride” meme. All of this is viewable below. Enjoy!
@matthewwildermusic For all my TikTokers out there. Thank you! #breakmystride #breakmystridechallenge #nobodygonnabreakmystride #aintnothinggonnabreakmystride
@matthewwildermusic
