Move over, Grammy winners — there’s a new emotional crooner in town, and she’s barely tall enough to reach the piano keys.
When 4-year-old Tillie Geiger’s dramatic serenade about sibling woes hit the internet, it wasn’t just her family laughing through tears. Millions rallied behind the pint-sized songstress, proving that even the tiniest voices deserve a spotlight.
From TikTok
Rachael Geiger, an Oklahoma mom and nonprofit worker, never expected her youngest daughter’s musical meltdown to become a viral sensation. But Tillie, whom Rachael affectionately calls a “Tasmanian devil” for her whirlwind energy, has always marched to her own beat. “The girls are little besties. Cecilia, the 10-year-old, likes to be mama. They call her fake mama, so when they yell through the house for mama and I answer, they go, ‘No, not you. Fake mama,’” Rachael said. Vivian, the middle sister, and Tillie round out a trio where chaos and comedy collide daily.
The now-famous piano performance began during a cozy family morning gone sideways. “That morning, we were all laying in bed watching TikToks. Everybody comes up to my king-size bed and we all crawl in on a Saturday or Sunday morning and we’ll lay there for an hour watching and looking up books for them to listen to,” Rachael explained. But Tillie’s upside-down antics — kicking faces while perched at the foot of the bed — led to a timeout. Her response? A soulful solo at the family piano.
Cecelia, 10, Vivian, 8 and Tillie, 4. Photo By Ricardo Páez
In the clip, Tillie plinks keys while belting, “It feels like … no one wants to be with me and no one wants to play with me.” Rachael, who works to support children affected by addiction, sees her daughter’s emotional intelligence as a happy accident. “We kind of joke that she’s like a reincarnated 40-year-old woman. She has already gotten into identifying her feelings. She says things and we’re like, ‘How do you even have the concept for that?’
But then also two nights ago, she was singing, ‘Jalapenos are my favorite penos’ so there’s still some 4-year-old in there, too.”
The video, which Rachael assumed would amuse a few friends, has since soared past 1.5 million views. “I thought the video was entertaining but I didn’t think it’d go viral. I opened it and saw it had 13,000 views and I was like ‘Oh boy,’” she said. While Tillie remains blissfully unaware of her fame, her older sisters field jokes from teachers. For Rachael, the attention feels surreal but fitting. “It’s been this weird anomaly. That’s like happened in secret, which is kind of entertaining, because she was an anomaly that happened in secret,” she said, referencing Tillie’s pandemic-era birth after multiple miscarriages and a 30-day NICU stay.
@rkbgeiger Replying to @Vera Goudie Workin on the drop 😂 #Artist #frustration #tillieonkeys #keys #piano #Musician #Songwriter #Threenager #Angst #Processing #emotions #Music #musictherapy #Lullaby #TaylorSwift #FionaApple #LadyGaga #MCR ♬ original sound – Rachael | UGC Creator 🌈❤️✨
Though surprised by the spotlight, Rachael cherishes how Tillie’s anthem resonated. “I’m grateful for TikTok and that my sharing a little bit about a little interaction in my family,” she said. “The number of people saying, ‘This is exactly how I felt as a kid,’ and the cross section of, ‘Get her an album deal immediately,’ it’s been great.” Between heartfelt ballads and jalapeño odes, Tillie’s encore is anyone’s guess — but one thing’s certain: this tiny troubadour isn’t done singing her truth.
@rkbgeiger Honestly the things I never thought I’d deal with 😂😂😂 #piano #angst #threeyearold #threenager #wushmeluck ♬ original sound – Rachael | UGC Creator 🌈❤️✨
Source: People
