Charli XCX and Troye Sivan performed at the sold out Madison Square Garden stop of their Sweat Tour on Monday, September 23, 2024. The venue, which was lit up in Brat Green, saw thousands of people dressed in all types of outfits make their way into a concert experience that, for one attendee, would be like no other concert they’d ever attend again.
That attendee is Kelley Heyer, a NYC-based actress and social media sensation. Heyer, a devoted fan of both artists, created a viral TikTok dance on June 14 to accompany “Apple,” one of Charli XCX’s songs, a mere week after it was released on her latest album, Brat. Heyer’s TikTok Apple dance, which has dominated my For You Page all summer, has been recreated by celebrities like Julia Fox, the cast of “Twisters,” and even Charli herself.
Though I was extremely familiar with the dance, I wasn’t familiar with its creator until Heyer was all over my For You Page again—this time the day after the Madison Square Garden show. Charli XCX had her perform her Apple dance live for the sold out crowds. I reached out to Heyer to interview her about this whole situation.
Playboy: Thank you so much for making this happen so so quickly. How are you doing today? You had a night last night, yeah?
Heyer: Thank you so much for reaching out. I love being here. I’m just like, I’m just feeling really good. I’m just really happy, you know?
Playboy: Let’s start at the beginning: June 7, Brat comes out. Do you listen on the day [of release]? Are you a midnight as soon as it comes out [person]? And tell me your initial reactions there?
Heyer: I definitely listened the day it came out, not at midnight. It’s funny having an online presence that is now associated with the Queen party girl, because I love a party, I love to dance, but I also like to be home by 2am at the latest. So I was asleep when Brat actually came out, but I listened to it. I loved it. I think Charli’s such a genius. And also seeing how she’s grown musically over the years.
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Playboy: How did we get to that June 14 video, the first TikTok of the dance?
Heyer: Exactly like a week later I was just listening to the album and there was just something about “Apple” that really drew me to it. People are talking about it. It’s so cool. I love it. I want to make a video with the music. I feel like there could be a dance here. And I told myself, “Wouldn’t it be so funny if I made my first ever Tiktok dance in the year of 2024, when no one is dancing on Tiktok anymore?”
I think I made the dance in like 20 minutes. All the moves came from the music and the lyrics. Then I posted the video, and it got, I don’t know, 1000 views and a comment or two. The next day, I posted the dance again, but I changed the first move because I just wasn’t happy with what it was. And now it has become the move that everyone knows today. And then about two weeks after was when Charli posted the dance with her and Terrence. Then it just blew up from there. It’s been just the most crazy, wonderful summer.
I had never made a TikTok dance. This was my first ever TikTok dance.
Playboy: What is going through your head right now? Are you asking yourself ‘Do I need to just keep doing this?’ Am I going to get pigeonholed? Are you having any qualms or reservations?
Heyer: I’m just gonna keep posting “Apple.” People are loving it. I’m loving it.
The trend cycle has become so short that literally, the one-month anniversary of my first “Apple” video, I made a post, and I was like, “It’s been a month and it’s been so crazy,” but it had really only been viral for a week. People were saying, “Oh my God. I’m so over this trend already.” By mid-July, a publication or someone had posted, “Is Brat summer over?” The album hasn’t even been out for a month. Why can’t we just be really present and enjoy what’s happening now? And why can’t we stop thinking about when things are going to end and the next thing is going to start? That’s exhausting. To people who are leaving me comments like, “Girl, just let it go. Girl, you’re dragging this out. You’re so annoying;” don’t leave a comment on my social media page. I can post whatever I want!
Playboy: You’re also a working actress. You have castings and other things you’re going to and you’re balancing this. But then some other opportunities came up. How did attending the VMA’s come to be?
A little backstory: Heyer revealed in early August, she looked ahead at what was happening in September: Fashion Week and the VMAs. She recruited the help of a publicist and gave her a dream list of shows and events, which included the VMAs, that she wanted to attend.
A few weeks went by and Heyer got an update on the VMAs from her publicist: they cannot accommodate her request. However, the very next day Charli receives the VMA nomination for Best Trending Video. That motivated Heyer to channel her disappointment into action. She sought wisdom from musician Tessa Violet who told her something along the lines of, “this series of events is never going to happen in my life again. Other amazing things are coming for me, but this random and wonderful series of events won’t happen again so I should take all the opportunities.” That helped her realize that she stick up for herself and shoot her shot.
So, she made another TikTok the Friday before the VMAs. She explained the situation and asked if any brands would send her. The internet responded: enter Bacardi.
Heyer: shout out to my fairy godmother, Bacardi. They got me a VIP ticket with a plus one, they got me a car, they got me a red carpet pass. I felt like Cinderella the whole night. I was really proud that I put myself out there.
Playboy: Incredible. So how did Madison Square Garden happen?
Back in June, after Charli did the dance, she sent me a message. She said how much she loved it and she thought it was so cool. She was like, “Do you have tickets to the Madison Square Garden Show?” And I said no. She said she would get me tickets.
A week before the Sweat show, her friend Terrence [O’Connor] DM’d me and checked in. I was on the list with a plus one. Then Terrence asked, “Do you want to be the Apple girl?” Charli also DMs me, saying “Terrence told me he checked in with you and you’re gonna be Apple girl. I think people will love it, like they’re gonna be gagged.”
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This is another really great example of the more you let go and trust and be kind, the more good stuff that comes back. It’s important to lead with grace and kindness, because again, more good will come back to you.
At the show, they told me where to go and when. “Speed Drive” ended and “Apple” started. They walked me down the aisle to this area. And at that point, I was like, I can’t miss my cue. So I readied my face, I readied my outfit, and I kept counting in my head. Then it started and I told myself, “Serve for your life, Kelley.” It happened and it was amazing.
Playboy: I saw a TikTok of everyone clapping for you outside of MSG. What happened?
Heyer: We were on our way outside of Madison Square Garden and I stopped for a moment. Then, the next thing I knew, people were clapping for me and were being so supportive. I was literally crying. I had to put my sunglasses on, my mascara was starting to run down my face.
Sometimes the internet can feel so misty, it’s not real. But here I was with thousands of people who have done my dance, who love it, and who were so supportive of me. I was overwhelmed with gratitude to have all these people cheering for me.
PB: I don’t know if you’ve checked the numbers, but there are 1.6 million videos using “Apple.” And if you look at the sound on TikTok, the top videos are all the dance. You made this sensation happen. When you hear that, what are your thoughts?
I’ve had a lot of different thoughts throughout the summer, but now that we sort of reached the end of it, I’m comfortable now saying, “Yeah, I did do that.” That isn’t that crazy? I made this dance. People saw it and they liked it. Now there’s a million videos and most of them are people doing that dance.
It’s been a snowball effect. I started it, but it wouldn’t be as viral if Charli hadn’t done it at some point. But ultimately, the seed was mine to do the dance.
I think sometimes social media can feel really not real, but when you see the actual numbers, it makes things feel more tangible. I remember when I posted the dance day one, there were about 200 videos under Apple. After two weeks, it was about 2,000, and then here we are at one million. People have been DMing me [Instagram] stories, [and] my mutuals being like, ‘Oh, I was visiting with my niece, and she knows the apple dance, and I told her I knew you, and she freaked out and thought it was so amazing.”
It feels very surreal. I think I know some people will roll their eyes when I say that when I consider Apple dance a part of my art, because this is just a TikTok dance, but I think the goal of a lot of artists is to have their art reach as many people as possible, or influence or impact as many people as possible. And I just feel very grateful that my dance has brought so much joy to people this summer. That has been the best thing.
PB: What are you manifesting to happen next?
Heyer: What I’m manifesting is more acting roles because this is just one long con to help my acting career. I can’t wait for the day, hopefully soon, when I get cast in something and people think it’s stunt casting and then I’m like, “Honey, you don’t even know the years of training and auditions that have led up to this point.” I think it’s just about continuing to take opportunities that I know feel, right? And trust that the work I’m doing will transform into more auditions, more relationships with casting, and eventually more bookings.