MA: The great thing about “Make You Mine” is that it happened very organically. JV: It would be incredible if it happened to another song, but our strategy is to just stay a band and not TikTok stars, even though that dominates the way people consume media right now, especially for young people.īL: We aren’t trying to engineer a song for TikTok. We had to learn how to embrace this while still being the band that we have always been to figure out how we could embrace this phenomenon and still stay true to ourselves. TO: What was it like to go viral on TikTok? Would you want it to happen again, or was going viral once enough?īen Lapps (BL): It was unexpected when it started and the way that it happened: Fans started tagging us in videos with the TikTok logo and the more we looked into this app, we realized our song “Make You Mine” was not only all over TikTok, but was one of the most popular sounds and had millions of videos. We have grown a ton as a band but are still the same we still function the same way at the core and still play the same way. We’ve also gotten to know the business side of things, which is a complete addition to just the music. We work with a label and management now, which is something we didn’t have in high school. JV: Doing music professionally is another difference.

Social media also plays a huge part in our current success because of TikTok, as one of our songs became popular on TikTok. MA: Today, it is much more accessible to get your hands on new music. John Vaughan (JV): We would put up physical posters for shows. Previously, information spread much more by word-of-mouth, and music was CD-oriented. Matt Alvarado (MA): Social media is one of the biggest differences. The Observer (TO): What was the experience of transitioning as a band from high school to the present day? What has changed and what has stayed the same? The Observer caught up with PUBLIC to discuss their experiences as a band and their thoughts on music. As PUBLIC performed, they embodied the power of rock and roll and undoubtedly made a fan out of every audience member, interacting with the crowd and each other in a way that proved the power music has to connect all people. The band formed in high school, and the friendship at the core of PUBLIC was visible in their performance, with high energy throughout their set and a passion for music shining clear. PUBLIC, a rock-pop band consisting of lead singer John Vaughan, bass and synth player Matt Alvarado, and drummer Ben Lapps, opened for American Authors and Magic Giant at Webster Hall at the final show of their Band of Brothers tour.

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