The heartbreaking backstory behind the ‘My Shayla’ TikTok sound, explained

One of the most popular sounds online right now is the My Shayla TikTok sound, which is dominating my TikTok FYP.

The trend is literally just the sound a man crying for someone called Shayla, saying “Oh my god! My Shayla” but many people have used it to yearn for their own Shayla, whether that be a pet or significant other.

It’s the hottest meme right now with a lot of people using it to post photos of their pets after they’ve done something bad. But many people don’t know the heartbreaking origins behind the video, which will probably change your opinion on it.

@augustthatgolden

MY SHAYLA 🥹🥹 #myshayla #goldenretriever #goldenretrieverlife #goldenretrieverpuppy #puppy

♬ ohhhmyygoddmy shayla – 𝒜 🩷

Captioning a photo of their pet, many viral posts read: “When I get annoyed at my dog, but remember this is who I’m annoyed with”. The next photo is their pet when it was young, and obviously really cute.

But who is Shayla and where is the My Shayla TikTok sound from?

The My Shayla TikTok sound actually comes from a viral video that Tyrese Gibson, an actor, posted in late 2017.

The heartbreaking full clip shows Tyrese crying for his daughter, Shayla, as he was embroiled in a custody battle for her at the time.

@dessycvs9n9

there have been too many trending sounds from this one live omg #tyrese #trendingsound #funnyy

♬ original sound – georgiapeach🧚🏾‍♀️

Breaking down in front of the camera, Tyrese says: “This is all I got. Don’t take my baby, okay. I’ve been waiting for my baby for two months.

“I just want my baby. No one’s listening because no one’s in the court room. I’m not doing anything illegal. What more do you want from me?”

Tyrese is also wearing a black hoodie, which he pans the camera down to show in the video and pats the text, which reads: “Shayla rocks”.

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The clip didn’t become a meme until recently, with other examples of the sound being used to emulate feelings of reminiscence or regret in life. One example captioned the My Shayla sound: “When you stumble across a piece of clothing that reminds you of your ex.”

@seigeknowswhatyoudid

#relatable #viralvideo #foryoupage #fyp

♬ original sound – seige knows

Another was captioned: “When I’m scrolling on my photos and see my long-distance bestie pop up.”

But after the original video of Tyrese went viral, people started to feel for Tyrese upon learning the context of the clip. One user commented: “I feel bad. After all these years I just realised he had a hoodie on that said Shayla Rocks. That man was hurt.”

Another wrote: “Who made this a meme omg. I feel so sad now.”

With over 483.4k videos using the sound, it’s possible that a lot of people don’t know the origins of the sound, or just want an excuse to post their pet, like every other insufferable pet owner.

Featured image via TikTok