When Leah Marie Mason posted a TikTok featuring her debut country song “Far Boy” on Jan. 31, the 2018 Green Hope High School graduate didn’t expect what would come next.

“For two hours, I had 11 likes just from my friends,” Mason said. “Then I went to dinner, came home, so this is two hours later, and I’m getting a lot of views, a lot of likes, and a lot of people are commenting. I’m like, ‘Oh my God, is my video blowing up right now?’”

The short video shows Mason surprising her then boyfriend by playing the song, which is about a relationship ending, for him while they are in a car.  When he realizes the song is about him, he leaves the car.

The video, which Mason posted to TikTok, went viral as widespread reaction to the video exploded in a matter of hours. Today, the video has been viewed nearly 10 million times, and Mason has gained more than 260,000 followers.

By Feb. 5, Mason officially released the single on streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. The response to her song — which rose onto the iTunes country charts — is unlike anything she’s ever experienced before.

“What reached me most was complete strangers messaging me how much the song meant to them, and how it was helping them get through a hard time,” Mason said. “That was crazy. Also, before I even posted the lyrics, people were commenting the lyrics so other people could know what I was saying. It was really cool to see people interacting and engaging — random people, people I didn’t know.”

Mason grew up in Cary and realized she wanted to pursue a career in music as a teenager. She first started performing as a 10-year-old in a ’70s-themed rock band called Brimstone. Later, she sang in the chorus and performed in musicals at Green Hope High School, where she also won the school’s talent show. The singer also auditioned for “American Idol” as a senior and won the Raleigh competition, although she failed to advance to the television show.

Mason has dabbled in several genres but felt drawn to progressive country music because of its songwriting and storytelling. She has been influenced by artists like Kasey Musgraves, Maren Morris, Chris Stapleton and Dan + Shay. Mason wrote “Far Boy” last October with three other songwriters — Kelsey Lamb, Royale Lynn Haldenby and Kaylin Marie Roberson, who is a former Cary Magazine Notable Teen.

The four young women sat down and wrote about how boys are awful sometimes, Mason says. “It was really cool. It was my first all-girl write too, so that was cool.”

Mason has been writing songs daily and expects to release more singles and possibly an EP later this year. On social media, Mason continues to promote “Far Boy,” while posting other videos where she sings.

Invigorated by her recent success, the Cary native and junior at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., continues to work hard in hopes of eventually being signed by a major recording label.

“I have a lot of things in the works,” Mason said. “But I’m excited to keep putting out music and just keep working.”

Find Leah Marie Mason’s single “Far Boy” wherever music is streamed, or on TikTok and Instagram @leahmmason.