Toms River 14-Year-Old Following In Family's Musical Footsteps

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Dom Innarella says he's been singing as long as he can remember.

"Since I could talk," the 14-year-old from Toms River said during a break in signing autographs at Charlie's Pizzeria on a Saturday afternoon.

"I love to perform," he said. His passion can be seen in his many videos posted on his TikTok account, where he has more than 403,000 followers, and his Instagram account, where he has nearly 160,000 followers.

Many of his videos are covers of songs by other artists, including Justin Bieber, Adele, Coldplay and Teddy Swims. He's met and sung for Usher, a video that racked up more than 4 million views.

Recently, however, Dom released the first song he has written and performed. "Bout Me" rose to No. 3 on Spotify’s Viral 50 chart within three weeks of its release, and has racked up more than 4.2 million views.

It also has helped Dom get signed to a contract with Republic Records, which is promoting him as "a rising young superstar" and "overnight sensation."

It's not the first brush with internet fame for the young man, however. Readers may remember him from the "Finding Nemo Jr." TikTok promo for the Brick Children's Community Theatre, where his performance of "Where's My Dad" in 2023 spawned dozens of memes and was viewed millions of times.

Dom, who was celebrating the recording contract with family and friends at Charlie's, said he got his start singing while sitting at the dining room table with his family, including parents Steven and Marie and brothers Nick and Anthony. His participation in the Brick Children's Community Theatre group fed his passion for being in front of a microphone, not only in a studio but as part of his school's chorus; a video of his performance in December gained more than 6 million views.

It's a talent and a love he inherited; his grandfather, Rich Lombard, performed doo-wop with a group named The Elaborates. Dom's father, Steven, sang R&B with a group named Gifted, he said.

Dom's covers have pulled in millions of views, with his cover "Take A Seat on the Rap Beat" garnering more than 12 million views across all of his platforms, Republic's senior publicity manager said.

While "Bout Me" is his debut single, Dom said he has written 15 songs so far. He has been recording in a studio since August 2024, he said, and with the recent signing with Republic looks forward to putting more of his own music out for his fans.

Even with the quick growth in his popularity, Dom remained polite and humble, signing autograph after autograph on pizza boxes provided by Charlie's and posing for multiple photos, never in a rush and thanking each person who asked for his time.

You can follow him on Spotify as well.