Meet The Creator Who Got TikTok Talking About Spanking — One Dance At A Time
It’s easy to argue on TikTok. But singer Derric Gobourne Jr. is taking it a step further — he’s dancing the haters away.
While you might not recognize Gobourne’s name, or his stage moniker Sir Indigo, there’s a good chance you’ve seen him move. For the past month, he’s been going viral on TikTok for his new jack swing song “There Goes Another One,” and its strong message against physical punishment for kids. “Keep your hands off that baby” / “Keep your hands off that child,” he croons while hitting step after step.
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The song isn’t new — Gobourne released it in 2022. But after posting a TikTok earlier this year explaining the meaning behind ‘There Goes Another One,” Gobourne found himself with a comment section filled with naysayers.
“The first group of comments were making fun of the dancing and how unserious it felt to people,” says Gobourne, 24. “But then I started seeing other responses.” At first a few, then a dozen, then hundreds of comments appeared that defended hitting children as punishment.
“It worked for my kids,” read one. “Can’t no one tell me how to parent,” read another. “Discipline is not abuse. Two different things.” “My parents hit me and I turned out fine.”
Starting in March, he’s made at least 70 videos replying to detractors in his comments, using peer-reviewed research and data to make his point: people should keep their hands off those babies. And people are responding. Before the song went mainstream, it was a staple on BlackTikTok, with hundreds of users laughingly noting how tired Gobourne must be having to dance away people advocating for abuse. And since going viral, videos using “There Goes Another One” have been viewed over 4.1 million times on TikTok alone. Now, it’s sparking a conversation online about why spanking is still considered acceptable — and why it shouldn’t take Gobourne dancing until he drops to make people listen.
There’s plenty of evidence that shows spanking kids does more harm than good. Spanking has been linked to behavioral problems, poor mental health, and aggression. And in 2018, the American Academy of Pediatrics updated its guidelines on corporal punishment, calling the practice ineffective and harmful for kids. Yet even with an abundance of research, public views on spanking haven’t changed as quickly as researchers want, especially online. According to the University of New Hampshire, as of 2019, 37 percent of kids in the United States were spanked regularly — a rate that increases among Black children. That statistic becomes even more obvious in online communities like Black TikTok and Black Twitter, where research can often be shouted down by anecdotal evidence.
But when Gobourn realized there was a disconnect between the amount of available research and the online acceptability of spanking, he realized the interest in his song could be an opportunity to share actual statistics where more people might see them.
“I was like, ‘I can either make a bunch of videos talking, or I can make a bunch of videos responding to this through dancing,’” Gobourne says. “And I dance better than I talk anyway.”
For Gobourne, his love of music came from a childhood filled with gospel, smooth jazz, and Bobby Brown constantly playing at home. His father exposed him to new genres at every angle. Gobourne remembers listening to Jackson and classical music on the way home from ballet class. His mother also put him in talent shows, competitions; anything that would allow him to be on stage. By second grade, in addition to dancing, he was writing songs every day. While he released a few songs while he was in high school, Gobourne didn’t begin producing his music in earnest until he graduated from high school in 2017, focusing on projects that were both catchy and powerful. He initially wrote “There Goes Another One” in 2018 as a protest song written in 2018 about police brutality, but after the pandemic, Gobourne wasn’t sure how he could add to the conversation without it feeling forced. But while scrolling on TikTok one night in 2021, he came across a Black therapist talking about the dangers of spanking kids — a video that inspired weeks of research and a new focus for his song.
“I was like, ‘I don’t think I’ve ever heard a song that really talks about this situation,’” Gobourne says. “ I always want my music to be something that you’re either entertained [by] or you’re learning. But why not both sometimes?”
With some updated lyrics, today’s version of “There Goes Another One” was born. And when Gobourne found himself needing a way to push back against a comment section full of people calling spanking “helpful” and “necessary” for kids, he decided to keep dancing. And people noticed. With each video, Gobourne’s views increased, and eventually, the creator started seeing more and more videos referencing his mission.
“Im begging y’all to stop arguing and let this man REST, he’s RIGHT,” says another creator, who turned Gobourne’s song into an animated clip. “KEEP YA HANDS OFF THAT BABY”
@terrymakesstuff Im begging y’all to stop arguing and let this man REST, he’s RIGHT. KEEP YA HANDS OFF THAT BABY 🕺🏾🕺🏾🕺🏾 #bloomlate #comedyanimation #short #oc #blackoc
♬ There Goes Another One – Derric Gobourne Jr.
“Here comes the “I turned out fine brigade,” said another creator, who used #keepyourhandsoff thatbaby in a skit about how corporal punishment can continue Black trauma.”
@thezolyspirit I want to do a longer video on all the research, as it relates to Black Americans/Caribbeans but also in general but ill see how this goes first. Here comes the “I turned out fine” brigade. #corporalpunishishment #keepyourhandsoffthatbaby
♬ original sound – Zoë Tyler
“I don’t feel a lot like children have a voice,” Gobourne tells Rolling Stone. “Children are the most unheard, unbelieved people. And if I can be a voice for children and specifically black children, that’s who this song [is] for. They’re facing so much pain and so much violence out in the world. They really shouldn’t be facing it inside the home.”
While he knows his music won’t singlehandedly stop spankings, Gobourne notes that he only wrote the song to start a discussion — something he says his TikTok videos have already achieved. He’s already planning to release more music, but hopes that even when “There Goes Another One” isn’t on the top of people’s minds, those who have seen his TikToks might rethink their views on spanking.
“Sometimes, I’ll just go through the sound and look at all the videos and think, ‘wow,’” he says. “I started a real conversation. And I did it through what I love, music and dance. I’ve really built a community around people who really believe in the same thing, and it gives me a lot of hope to see.”
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