Tommy Richman on the Last-Minute Pivot That Led to Global Hit ‘Million Dollar Baby’: ‘That Song Is Going to Last Forever’
Early last spring, Tommy Richman had a carefully planned strategy in place to promote his single “Selfish.” However, the internet had other plans. In April, the 24-year-old Virginia native posted a snippet of a new song called “Million Dollar Baby” on TikTok. The clip, with its booming, distorted bass, went viral and quickly racked up almost 9 million uses on the platform.
“People were berating me on Instagram and in my DMs saying, ‘Drop this song!’” Richman says. “I probably got a couple thousand DMs, which was insane, and then I told my label, ‘We gotta drop this song next week! We need to chase this moment — it’s time.’”
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A last-minute shift to push “Million Dollar Baby” paid off. Released as both a studio and a “VHS” version (the TikTok that teased the song was shot on a VHS recorder), the funk-splattered track debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped charts worldwide, thrusting the genre-bending artist into seemingly overnight success. It set the stage for the September release of his debut full-length, “Coyote.”
Richman recalls recording “Million Dollar Baby” at a studio owned by his label, Pulse Records; he signed a joint-venture deal with R&B singer Brent Faiyaz’s ISO Supremacy in August 2023. “Coyote” was “practically done” by the end of last year, says Richman. He crafted the song while putting the finishing touches on the album with his associates Jonah Roy, Mannyvelli, Sparkheem, Max Vossberg and Kavi, who are credited as producers on the track.
“Honest to God, it was just a normal session,” he says. “I thought it could have been a hit. Everyone was like, ‘This is good,’ but no one was like, ‘This is going to be a No. 1 song.’”
Once he teased “Million Dollar Baby,” the reaction was unexpected. “We had to be super nimble,” says Pulse Music Group’s Bel Mesbahi, who was instrumental in signing the singer. “I’ve seen moments lost when the fans don’t get exactly what they want. The ratio between how many [TikTok] sound creates are made with the VHS compared with the original version is insane. So people use the VHS sound on TikTok and go to Spotify and stream the original version. That’s a cool part of it too.”
Pulse activated across departments including digital, radio and marketing to stoke an even bigger flame. Sara Ahmed, VP of marketing for Pulse, explains that the staff looked at various data points to maximize potential on DSPs and at radio, where the song impacted across formats including urban rhythmic and Top 40. “The song grew so big, but things can easily die, and then there can be a massive drop-off,” says Ahmed. “We continuously evolved.”
“Million Dollar Baby” set the stage for “Coyote,” which expands on the R&B and pop-melding sound that Richman confected in the years running up to his breakthrough. Following an opening stint for Faiyaz and his runaway success in 2024, he’s at work on his next album, even as “Million Dollar Baby” continues to live on. “I think that song is going to last forever,” he says. “I went out the other day, and they’re still playing it, which is kind of surprising to me — I’m like, ‘Y’all still playing this song?’ But I’m very thankful.”
SONGWRITERS: Gidi, Ava La’Rae, Tommy Richman
PRODUCERS: Kavi, Mannyvelli, Jonah Roy, Sparkheem, Max Vossberg
LABEL: ISO Supremacy/Pulse Records
HITMAKERS:
Sara Ahmed, VP of marketing, Pulse Records
Kavi, Mannyvelli, Jonah Roy, Sparkheem, Max Vossberg, producers
Bel Mesbahi, creative director of A&R, Pulse Music Group/Pulse Records
Darren Xu, manager, ISO Supremacy
PUBLISHERS: Tommy Richman (SONY ATV/Everythingispunk – ASCAP); Jonah Ronson Roy (SONY ATV ASCAP); Emmanuel C Arrah (SONY ATV/Iso Supremacy – ASCAP); Terrance E Davis (SONY ATV/Iso Supremacy – ASCAP); Gideon Abate Endalkachew (ASCAP); Kavian Salehi (AVEX BMI); Maxwell Vossberg (SONY ATV BMI); Ava La’Rae (n/a)
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