The Viral Band Trying to Sing Their Way to a U.S. Visa

Summary

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The Journal.

Episode: The Viral Band Trying to Sing Their Way to a U.S. Visa
Date: February 16, 2026
Hosts: Ryan Knutson & Jessica Mendoza
Produced by: The Wall Street Journal & Spotify Studios

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the journey of viral boy band Boy Throb and their quest to bring member Darshan Makdum from Mumbai to the U.S. on an “extraordinary ability” O-1 visa. The story explores Boy Throb’s rise to internet fame, logistical and bureaucratic immigration hurdles, the shifting definition of “extraordinary ability” in the influencer age, and how a modern band’s viral story can become its greatest asset—and challenge.

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Meet the Band: Boy Throb

• Members:
  • Evan Papier (Rockville, Maryland)
  • Anthony Key (Valparaiso, Indiana)
  • Zachary Sibanya (Minnesota)
  • Darshan Makdum (Mumbai, India)
• Origin: The group formed after Evan and Anthony, both American Idol rejects, connected on social media and decided to assemble a modern boy band. Zach, noted for his deep vocals, joined soon after. Darshan, famous for his singing and dancing on TikTok and Instagram in India, completed the group.
• Style: Lighthearted, often wearing matching pink velour tracksuits. Think NSYNC meets K-pop, but low-budget.
  • “We’re the world’s next biggest boy band.” – [00:33, Boy Throb, in unison]

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Viral Journey and Social Media Strategy

• Darshan’s Remote Participation:
  • Due to visa issues, Darshan is physically in Mumbai and green-screened into Boy Throb’s U.S.-based videos.
  • “We feel incomplete without Darshan.” – [00:49, Host]
• Making a Visa Application a Viral Story:
  • The band openly documents Darshan’s visa journey in their content, including comedic and musical appeals.
  • “Our immigration lawyer told us we need 1 million followers in order for Darshan to be given a visa so he can sing and dance with us on U.S. soil.” – [01:09, Anthony Key]
  • Their hit, “Darshan in the USA,” chronicles their struggle in song.
• Media Recognition:
  • Profiled in Teen Vogue, Cosmo, The Wall Street Journal, and recently attended the Grammys and performed the national anthem at an LA Kings game.

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Visa Hurdles and the “Extraordinary Ability” Standard

The Challenge

• Visa Options Explored:
  • Tourist and H-1B visas are not feasible for Darshan’s circumstances.
  • The only plausible route: the O-1 visa, for “extraordinary ability” in arts/sciences.
• Understanding the O-1 Visa:
  • “People call it the Einstein visa… Olympic athletes, people who win major scientific prizes, very decorated authors.” – [13:07, Michelle Hackman]
  • “You have to prove that you are extraordinary and you have to actually find evidence… that you’re extraordinary.” – [13:30, Michelle Hackman]
  • For artists, this means press coverage, follower count, and third-party validation.
• Unconventional Precedents:
  • “A lot of OnlyFans stars are using the O-1 process and arguing that they’re extraordinary because of how much they’re getting paid, how many fans they have.” – [14:25, Michelle Hackman]
  • Signals a broadening of what “extraordinary ability” means in a digital, influencer-driven age.
• Formal Standard:
  • Must demonstrate “extraordinary ability by sustained national or international acclaim.” – [15:05, Jessica Mendoza quoting USCIS]

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Embracing Visibility: Fame as Evidence

• Building Their Case:
  • Social media presence: Now over 1 million TikTok followers.
  • Press coverage: Major features in mainstream outlets.
  • Real-world performances: Attending Grammys, performing anthems.
• Band’s Philosophy:
  • “We wanted to show our experience of creating this band, but also navigating this journey through this process. That is a very tough thing to do in this day and age in this country right now.” – [10:10, Evan Papier]
• The Hopeful Wait:
  • “Are you expecting to hear back from USCIS anytime soon?” – [17:23, Jessica Mendoza]
  • “Yes, we have submitted and we’ll find out by the end of this month.” – [17:23, Darshan Makdum]
  • Despite uncertainty, the group keeps creating—“It’s also like a movement in some way… to let people come and spread their joy if they don’t live in this area.” – [17:31, Evan Papier]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Memorable Darshan Introduction:
  • “I’m Darshan. I’m stuck in India.” – [00:45, Darshan Makdum]
• Band’s Goal:
  • “And we’re gonna win a Grammy.” – [00:34, Boy Throb]
• Visa Application Set to Music:
  • “A petition’s been submitted and is waiting its review. USCIS will adjudicate in 15 business days. Adjudicate means formal judgment. We hope it goes our way.” – [02:05, Boy Throb]
• KFC Commercial Cameo:
  • Darshan’s Indian fame highlighted via a quirky KFC ad—“Nine pieces for $2.99. Nine for $2.99.” – [08:10, Darshan Makdum]
• Musical Tease (New Single):
  • “We can't stop can't stop the thro. Oh, you can't stop can't stop the thro…” – [18:38, Boy Throb & Darshan, singing]

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Key Timeline & Timestamps

• [00:05–01:26]: Introduction to Boy Throb and Darshan’s visa challenge
• [05:21–10:06]: Band origins, formation, and finding Darshan
• [10:10–12:28]: Why the band made their immigration struggle central to their story
• [12:28–15:05]: In-depth on O-1 visa hurdles and what “extraordinary ability” means
• [15:05–17:31]: Documenting their fame-building efforts and practical steps
• [18:38–19:07]: Sampling the upcoming single and closing remarks

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Conclusion

This episode puts a spotlight on how immigration, social media, and entertainment increasingly intersect in the U.S. The journey of Boy Throb and Darshan’s O-1 visa bid is both a portrait of modern fame and a case study in how virality can impact real-life opportunities. Their positivity and creativity resonate in every segment—even as they use song, humor, and digital reach to reshape definitions of “extraordinary.”

For the latest on Boy Throb or to support Darshan’s visa journey, follow them where you get your viral content—because, in their own words:

“We can’t stop, can’t stop the thro…” – Boy Throb [18:38]

Transcript

[A]

There's a new boy band that's going viral on social media. They're called Boy Throb.

[B]

This is Boy Throb.

[A]

Boythrob debuted on TikTok in November. Their vibe is lighthearted, and the boys are often decked out in a set of pink velour tracksuits. Think NSYNC meets K Pop, but on a smaller budget.

[B]

We're the world's next biggest boy band.

[C]

And we're gonna win a Grammy.

[A]

There are four. Evan Papier, Anthony Key, Zachary Sibanya and Durshan Makdum.

[B]

Evan, Zach, Anthony.

[D]

I'm Darshan. I'm stuck in India.

[C]

We each just flew from around the country to rent.

[A]

This is one thing that really makes the band stand out. While three of the Boy Throbs dance in sunny California, the fourth one, Darshan, is pasted into their videos using a green screen. Because he's in Mumbai. In India, we feel incomplete without Darshan.

[C]

Our immigration lawyer told us we need 1 million followers in order for Darshan to be given a visa so he can sing and dance with us on US soil.

[A]

We'd really love to meet him. Will you help bring him to America by following us? Take to make their musical dreams come true. The band wants to get Darshan to the US but for that he needs a visa. And so they started singing about it. Here's our colleague Michelle Hackman who covers immigration and these days, boy bands.

[E]

So this video comes out and like three people almost instantaneously text me this Instagram reel because I guess it's like peak Michelle content. Like it's. It's really on the nose for me. USA and they're singing about the O1 visa, which is like kind of a deep cut visa. It's not even the one that, like, most people know, and it's very accurate.

[C]

A petition's been submitted and is waiting its review. USCIS will adjudicate in 15 business days. Adjudicate means formal judgment. We hope it goes our way.

[E]

For someone who's like a huge immigration nerd, I was like, what to schedule?

[B]

This can take a month. So while we wait, we sing. And if all this goes according to plan, he'll be here in the spring.

[D]

I will be in America soon.

[B]

Straight boy throb.

[A]

But actually getting Darshan stateside is not that simple because boythrob needs to earn one big fan. The US Government. Welcome to the Journal, our show about money, business, and power. Hi, I'm Jessica Mendoza. It's Monday, February 16th. We've got a lighter listen for the holiday weekend. Coming up on the show Boy Throb's quest to bring Darshan to the US.

[F]

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[G]

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[B]

This is this is the Journal.

[A]

Boythrob has its roots in a not so happy story of rejection that started with Evan Papier. I sat down with him and the rest of Boythrob last week.

[B]

So I'm Evan Papier. I am from Rockville, Maryland. I am 23 years young and been doing music my whole life. I did American Idol back in season 20. I was not happy with my experience to say the least. Needed someone to Vent to Evan didn't.

[A]

Make the cut, so he reached out to another former American idol hopeful, Anthony Key on social media.

[C]

Hi, I'm Anthony key, and I am from Valparaiso, Indiana.

[A]

As Anthony had auditioned with a song by Korean boy band bts. Cause I, I, I hear the stars tonight. And he also got rejected.

[B]

We both were, like, looking for paths forward in our careers of what to do next. And then we just started talking about music, and we just started the idea of maybe we should make a group together.

[A]

Anthony, when. When Evan told you his idea, what was your first thought?

[C]

I'm like, maybe I should. Maybe we should start a group together. Maybe this is that. Yes and thing. Maybe, you know, I think we're, you know, great artists on our own, but imagine what we could do coming together.

[A]

Evan and Anthony started looking for other singers to collaborate with, and Zachary Sibania kept popping up on their social feeds. I grew up in Minnesota, have a background playing guitar. Like, I went to Berkeley for guitar. Aren't you in law school too?

[B]

Yeah, I am.

[A]

You sound a lot less excited about that.

[B]

Yeah, I mean, I feel like doing.

[A]

Music is a more natural path for me.

[B]

Zach had that low voice that we were really looking for to balance out all the different vocal parts of the group.

[A]

Zach was on board. Now the band just needed a fourth member, a countertenor to round out the quartet.

[E]

And then they find this guy Darshan, who lives in India. He's in Mumbai.

[D]

Hi, I'm Darshan Makdu, and I'm currently in India, and I'm trying to join my boy band in America.

[E]

And he's kind of like a similar vibe to these guys, like, dances in a similar way. And they were like, we really liked his voice. And Darshan, I've learned, is, like, actually pretty famous in India. TikTok famous. You know, he's famous for his sort of singing covers, his dances.

[A]

Darshan has nearly 140,000 followers on TikTok and more than 800,000 on Instagram. He's even been in commercials, like this catchy ad for kfc. Oh, hi, it's me, Darshan C. Yeah, I sing English Hindi when I'm on top. You see me putting epic saves in 1080p KFC. Epic Savers. Nine pieces for $2.99. Nine for $2.99. Darshan, you know, when these guys came to you, what went through your mind?

[D]

I mean, at first I was like, is this real? But then we all got into one call, and then, yeah, we figured out, like, this Is it? This is mean for me and for everyone.

[A]

For the rest of you guys, what is it about Darshan that made you think? You know, this is the guy. This is our fourth.

[C]

Oh, well, first of all, he's so darn cute. I mean, look at him.

[A]

Can't argue that. Thank you.

[C]

Yeah, man. When we saw Darshan, you know, we've seen that he's killing it in India. You know, he's sweet. He's very successful in India. Imagine what he can do, you know, here with us. But it was just like one little problem. Darshan doesn't have Ibiza to get to America.

[A]

That problem didn't stop the rest of the band. They got themselves an immigration lawyer who told them that the more famous they were as a band, the better their chances would be to get Darshan a visa.

[E]

The lawyer they consulted said, well, it'd be really great if you had a million followers on TikTok because that would show you guys are like, real deal. You're really viral.

[A]

So Boythrob, a name their fans came up with, by the way, started posting more videos. And they decided that they wouldn't hide the fact that Darshan was stuck outside the U.S. instead, they would make it a part of their story.

[C]

Oh, I like Darshan in the usa. Oh, I need him here by New Year's Day. It's the way Boy Throb can stay in la.

[A]

Why did you choose to put this immigration challenge front and center?

[B]

I think the creativity aspect of it, like, it's a new side for people to see. Of the artists, we wanted to show our experience of creating this band, but also navigating this journey through this process. That is a very tough thing to do in this day and age in this country right now.

[A]

What it will take for Boythrop to get a visa for Darshan is next.

[H]

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[I]

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[B]

This is, this is the journal.

[A]

Darshan. When you realized, when you understood that, you know, coming here meant you would have to apply for a visa, what went through your mind? Did it feel like a big challenge?

[D]

I mean, at first it felt like a challenge, but after we posted our first video and the amount of love support we got then, like, it felt easier, Much easier.

[A]

Getting their fans on board is one thing, but the US government is another. Because aspiring boy band member is kind of a tricky category for getting a visa that would let Darshan come to the US to work.

[E]

Darshan can't just come here. I mean, he needs approval from the US Government and all the avenues that we think of, he doesn't really fit into a lot of the regular categories.

[A]

He can't work on a tourist visa and he can't get the more common H1B visa for foreign professionals that often requires a US company, the applicant's employer, to sponsor them. That left the O1 visa, which is.

[E]

For people with extraordinary ability, either sort of in the sciences or in the arts. People call it the Einstein visa, which is like not.

[A]

Einstein visa is not what I think.

[E]

Of when I think of boy bands. Yeah, exactly. Let me put it in perspective. Like the, the O1 visa is for Olympic athletes. It's for people who win major scientific prizes, very decorated authors. So that's kind of how selective we're talking.

[A]

And so that word extraordinary, is that a key piece of the O1 visa?

[E]

Definitely, that is the metric. You have to prove that you are extraordinary and you have to actually find evidence that's quantifiable, that's objective, that you're extraordinary.

[A]

For a scientist, research papers and university grants could prove that they're extraordinary for an athlete. An Olympic gold medal might do the trick. An author might give immigration officers book reviews to look over. But for boythrob and for artists in general, lawyers have to get creative.

[E]

They have to find sort of these objective third party metrics. For example, you know, have you exhibited your artwork at this, you know, well known fancy gallery? Are you getting write ups in places that you can't pay for, like the Wall Street Journal, that are independent arbiters of how good you are?

[A]

Have you seen other cases of influencers or people who are Internet famous trying to apply for O1 visas?

[E]

I mean, one, one kind of funny case is that a lot of OnlyFans stars are using the O1 process and arguing that they're extraordinary because of how much they're getting paid, how many fans they have on OnlyFans.

[A]

That is unusual.

[E]

Not something I ever thought I would be talking about at work.

[A]

I mean, could this redefine what extraordinary ability means?

[E]

I definitely think that there's a broadening going on here, that we have to think about art in sort of new ways. In some ways, it's really fun to think about, like, what counts as art, what counts as worthy.

[A]

The way U.S. citizenship and Immigration Services puts it on its website, applicants have to, quote, demonstrate extraordinary ability by sustained national or international acclaim. For Boythrob, that basically means they need to make it big. And the band's been working on it. Boythrob has grown its social media following to more than a million on TikTok in the past few months. They've been featured in outlets like Teen Vogue, Cosmo, and, yes, the Wall Street Journal. Actually, it's possible that an immigration officer is listening to this podcast right now, so hi there. The band also released a single called Finger. They're also getting attention from establishment forces in entertainment. Earlier this month, the three American boy throbbers attended the Grammys. Evan posted about it on his TikTok.

[B]

At my first Grammys. Can't believe this is life. Like, what the heck is happening?

[A]

And a few days after the Grammys, they sang the national anthem at an LA Kings hockey game.

[B]

We did a performance at the LA Kings game of the national anthem that we hope put doubts in anyone's mind that we're wondering if we're serious or not, That we are an actual band. We actually can perform, we can sing, we can dance. We have talent behind us and I think it will let people see us in more of a serious light, including in that visa aspect. And Darshan will just be that cherry on top.

[A]

Dan's visa application has been with USCIS since December. A brand deal with the graphic design tool Canva covered that fee altogether. The whole visa process can cost thousands of dollars. Are you expecting to hear back from USCIS anytime soon?

[D]

Yes, we have submitted and we'll find out by the end of this month.

[A]

Do you think it'll be enough?

[B]

It's a start. We hope it will be enough, but we're just going to keep going. I think that when it came to this idea, this band is not just like us being a band of try singing altogether. It's also like a movement in some way. To let people come and spread their joy if they don't live in this area, there's nothing wrong with that. And I think that we know there was an obstacle there with Darshan being across the world, but we know that people would rally behind us and help him get here because of how amazing it would be when we're all together and finally able to sing in unison.

[A]

As they wait. The four band members will continue to collaborate remotely and put out music like a song to the State Department.

[C]

The momentum stay Give the diamond the.

[B]

Place of don't be shy, Don Sean is over.

[A]

And later this week, Boy Throb is releasing a new single. Can you guys sing a sample of the new single? Just like a little teaser? Is that allowed? Do you know?

[B]

We can't stop can't stop the fr. We can't stop, can't stop the thrive oh, you can't stop can't stop the throat can't stop the thro.

[D]

We can't stop, can't stop the thro.

[B]

Can'T stop, can't stop the dark oh, you can't stop can't stop the dark.

[A]

That's all for today. Monday, February 16 the Journal is a co production of Spotify and the Wall Street Journal. The theme music for this episode was remixed by Peter Leonard. If you like our show, follow us on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. We're out every Weekday afternoon. Thanks for listening. See you tomorrow.