Photo Credit: Good Morning America
A waste management worker has gone viral on TikTok for sharing clips of himself singing operatic songs while working among the sewer pipes. Now, that success is flowing off-platform with a Good Morning America profile.
Kyle Kilroy, a 32-year-old waste management worker, has been making waves on TikTok, where his posts have gained nearly 500,000 likes. Known as the Sewer Singer, the Boston-based Kilroy shares clips of himself singing operatic pop songs and Broadway hits while working among the city’s pipes.
Kilroy has sung everything from Andrea Bocelli’s “Con Te Partirò” to “Stars” from Les Misérables, hits from The Phantom of the Opera, and even classic Disney movie songs. He said he usually records the clips while he’s working solo, checking on chemical storage plants. This, he said, is because he’s actually kind of shy.
“My coworker’s usually out and about,” he told ABC News. “I try to, like, schedule it. So he goes out to lunch or something, and I’m like, ‘Okay,’ because I’m still kind of shy.”
Not only does Kilroy have a melodic voice, but the acoustics at his workplace are ideal for showcasing his talent.
“I’m like, ‘Well, I’m here more often than I’m not. I might as well take advantage of these sweet acoustics,’” he said.
While he isn’t a formally trained musician, Kilroy said he was exposed to the arts from a young age and sang in choir briefly while in college.
“When I was in preschool, we used to listen to Andrea Bocelli’s Romanza on a cassette during nap time. And then I kind of just [taught] myself to sing opera from there,” he shared.
Kilroy said he loves the community he’s found on social media since he started sharing his clips. But although he’s making it big on TikTok in particular, he said he has no plans to quit his day job.
“I actually enjoy my job quite a bit,” he said. “I’m just a blue-collar guy. I work hard and I have a beautiful wife. We have two dogs, a cat, and two horses. I’m in a good place where I don’t have regrets.”
That said, Kilroy admitted that his dream would be to sing with Andrea Bocelli, whom he considers his “all-time inspiration.”
