From Thomas the Tank Engine to 31M likes: How NJ pianist NGXB cracked social media

Yes, it’s technically accurate that it took wearing a pair of silly Thomas the Tank Engine sunglasses to take 25-year-old virtuoso pianist Nick Blum’s videos viral. But the real truth is the Brick resident was grinding to make a name for himself for a long time before that.

Blum, whose professional name is NGXB, the acronym of his real name Nicholas George Xavier Blum, has a total of more than 1.4 million followers across all social media platforms. Videos of him playing piano on TikTok have been liked more than 31 million times.

Blum had 60,000 to 80,000 followers before the video with the sunglasses. He didn’t watch the animated children’s show much growing up. He related to the show mostly through memes that featured lyrics from rapper Biggie Smalls or the band System of a Down - with Thomas the Tank Engine images in the background. He bought the glasses on Amazon, a decision that was part impulse and part intuition.

“After they arrived at the house and before I shot the video, I said, 'These sunglasses are going to make me go viral,'” said Blum. Sure enough, he posted the video, went to bed – and had more than 4 million views in the morning. “It was exciting waking up to that and trying to come up with even better content to ride that wave has been fun.”

Blum was raised in Brick and still lives there with his parents, whom he credits for much of his success. His father, George, is a classically trained pianist who taught his son how to play as a child. His mother Linda quit her job to be his full-time business manager. He is a 2020 graduate of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, with a degree in jazz.

“I wouldn’t be able to sustain everything if it weren’t for them,” he said. “From my dad training me when I was young to my mom managing all my operations, I’m free to create, make music and entertain.”

He cites Liberace, George Gershwin and Franz Liszt as being among his biggest influences. He also grew up on a healthy diet of Motley Crue, Kiss, Metallica, Queen and Guns N’ Roses.

Blum’s massive online following helped him recently sign a deal with a brand management company to help social media influencers and content creators like him get sponsorship deals. He’s far from an Internet-only sensation, however. He plays live regularly. The tour schedule on his website www.thengxb.com shows a packed February and March that include a mix of public and private gigs in Asbury Park, East Brunswick, Atlantic City and Vancouver.

Entertainment: See Oscar-nominated short films in Asbury Park, and more things to do this weekend

While his mom has taken the reigns of the business side of his career, he said growing a career in the internet age takes a mix of musical talent and business acumen.

“I feel like I was always born to be an entertainer no matter what, but I think you also need a certain personality, a work ethic to really cultivate and grow an online following,” he said. “Also, the realization that everything is a business helps to capitalize on all of that.”

Still, Blum says his music will always come first and “influencing” will always be an extension of his art. As his career surges, his mom Linda is more than happy to continue to help. “My husband and I said, ‘Alright, he's got what it takes to make it in the industry,’ she said.” “So I gave up my job, which I didn’t mind doing at all, because working for him is the best job in the world.”

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Brick NJ: NGXB's journey from Thomas the Tank to viral sensation