Instead of lukewarm coffee and a forced smile, Andrew Hiers hawks cars with arias. The 38-year-old is a classically trained opera singer who recently turned to selling cars at a dealership near his home in Cocoa, Florida, after singing gigs dried up. His videos have gone viral on TikTok and Instagram, garnering a profile in The Washington Post.
“It did feel like I was kind of waving the white flag on my career when I made the decision to do this,” Hiers told the Post. Selling cars might be a steadier gig than singing opera, but Hiers still struggled after taking a job at Boniface Hiers Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram (no relation) in January. So he started posting singing car ads as a way to set himself apart from his more experienced coworkers.
He started with a video about a used Corvette set to the music of “Nessun Dorma” from Giacomo Puccini’s “Turandot.” Posted in February, it soon amassed more than a million views on TikTok and thousands on Instagram. The ‘Vette was sold by someone else, however, but that at least gave Hiers the opportunity to do a follow-up video singing “Una Furtiva Lagrima”—a furtive tear.
Hiers has continued making videos around other used cars and the dealership’s new Stellantis stock, always reminding viewers to “ask for Andrew” when they head to the dealership, but as of early this month he’s only sold one car, according to the Post. But he’s using the experience to develop skills to help continue building his opera career.
“You market yourself as a salesman. And you have to market yourself as an opera singer,” Hiers said.
It’s another tale of the harsh realities of capitalism ruining everything. More often than not, it’s platforms, not creators, that get rich off viral social media trends. And even people who love cars don’t love going to dealerships because the economics of the franchised model pretty much guarantee an unpleasant experience. That makes the job of selling cars tough, even if you do it with a song.
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