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How Tyrese Gibson crying over his daughter Shayla became a viral TikTok sound

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Missing someone? If so, you'll love this TikTok sound. Being apart from the people you care about can be tough, whether it's a family member, a loved one, or even a favorite teacher at school. In this new trend, TikTokers are opening up about the things and people they miss the most, along with those creators who are adopting this sound in a tongue-in-cheek way.

To find out about the sound and its surprising celebrity origin, be sure to keep reading.

The sound

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The sound is pretty simple — it involves a tearful male voice crying: "Oh my God! My Shayla!" Based on this sound alone, we can assume that this man is yearning for someone called Shayla. This sense of yearning is something that these TikTokers share, as they lip-sync the sound while lamenting over their own lost "Shaylas."

Here are some examples:

"When you stumble across a piece of clothing that reminds you of your ex," said @seigeknowswhatyoudid.

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"When I'm scrolling on my photos and see my long-distance bestie pop up," said @iiammakayla.

"When I'm studying and remember my teacher from last year who was so much easier," said @emsea123.

"Me cause my favorite friend in a relationship I can't have her to myself anymore," said @ny798548.

Where's it from?

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Tyrese Gibson via @dispositiion/TikTok

This sound comes from a viral video that actor Tyrese Gibson briefly posted in November 2017. The full video shows him crying for his daughter Shayla because he was embroiled in a custody battle at that time.

https://www.tiktok.com/@taramuzka/video/7451176100148808962

Given the video's serious tone depicting real suffering, should it really have been turned into a viral meme? Probably not, but the thing about memes is that they're not just decided by one person; they're decided by the collective voice of the internet.

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Sound off

This turbulent sound has ended up becoming one of the most popular of the app: it's been used in a whopping 107,600 TikToks. One way or another, this emotional sound resonates with a lot of people.

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Now you can watch our That One Sound from TikTok column on YouTube! Subscribe to our channel and keep an eye out for new episodes every Wednesday.

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