11.18.2020
TikTok Treats, Week of Nov. 16th
Billie Eilish and Queen Join the Party, New Viral Hits Take Flight, and More From the World of TikTok
The News:
TikTok gives rising artists the chance to brush shoulders with giants. Though it is proudly home to some of music’s biggest stars, TikTok puts their music on equal footing with rising songs from lesser-known acts. This week on TikTok brought noteworthy developments on both fronts, as two of the world’s most popular artists joined TikTok, eager to be part of the platform that helps build hits and keep catalog songs at the top of our minds. See below:
- Billie Eilish joined TikTok last week and she did it in typical Billie fashion. She snuck onto the app using a surreptitious username (which was, ahem, @coochiedestroyer5) and uploaded a hilariously malformed facial transformation video. Earlier this week, the 18-year-old pop star officially announced that she joined TikTok and her follows quickly climbed past the 5 million mark. In the past 5 days, Billie generated over 230 million video views on the transformation video and another playful clip where she attempted to put an entire ukulele headstock into her mouth.
- Billie Eilish wasn’t the only high profile artist to hop on TikTok recently. Earlier this week, legendary rock band Queen made their presence felt on the app, sharing a clip from their iconic Live Aid performance as their first TikTok video. The clip excerpts Freddie Mercury’s memorable call-and-response interaction with the record-setting crowd, and the “Ay Oh” audio already has over 1000 video creations, including a duet from recording artist Tom Grennan. Stay tuned to the @queenofficial account for appearances from band members and more surprises, as the venerable band makes ten songs of their most famous songs available for use in TikTok videos and invites fans to participate in the #SingWithQueen challenge.
- Walk around anywhere in New York City and there’s a good chance you’ll hear Staten Island rapper CJ‘s drill hit “Whoopty” blasting out of a car’s speakers. Thanks to TikTok, the song is now a global hit, generating over 200k video creations, including a clip from Bayern Munich soccer player Alphonso Davies. The song has taken on a surprising new life in France, where creative users like @le20veineux use “Whoopty” to soundtrack unexpected manipulations of TikTok’s transformation tool. Powered by TikTok, “Whoopty” is currently charting at #97 on Billboard’s Global 200 chart and entered the Hot 100 this week at the same position.
- CJ isn’t the only rising rapper with a trending song on TikTok–Kreepa has a hit on his hands with “Oh No” (73k video creations). Built around a catchy sped-up sample from classic girl group The Shangri-Las, Kreepa’s single is the perfect soundtrack for oopsies of all shapes and sizes, ranging from spilled makeup, to lost hamsters, to global public health catastrophes. “Oh No” is currently climbing Spotify’s Global Viral 50 chart, where it currently sits at #6.
- Rising pop artist Sara Kays took to TikTok to show fans the entire life-cycle of a song, from its conception, to its recording and eventual release. On October 28th, Keys unveiled a sketch of a song she wrote about a past break-up, performing it on TikTok for her followers on her acoustic guitar. One week later, Kays returned with a surprise–the sketch she shared was now a full-fledged song called “Remember That Night?,” and she planned to release it imminently. In the days leading up to the song’s release, Kays shared a moody video that explained the song’s lyrics, and when she released the song on November 8th, she told the full story in a video that generated over 12 million views. “Remember That Night” has picked up steam on TikTok, generating over 4.9k video creations and racking up over 3 million Spotify streams in ten days, while Kays’ TikTok following eclipsed 1 million. Most recently, Kays and her producer revealed that the song is populated with subtle car sounds, which add atmosphere to the story and a fullness to the percussion.
The above examples demonstrate the myriad ways TikTok supports artists, especially as traditional music industry avenues close during the pandemic. For superstars like Eilish, TikTok’s emphasis on authenticity offers her the chance to display a playful side of her personality that she might not otherwise show. For catalog artists like Queen, TikTok opens up a new audience and allows their most memorable moments to live on in a shareable and accessible format. And it offers up-and-coming artists a chance to promote their music to a large audience, eager to discover new music and share with their friends.
Check TikTok’s newsroom for more noteworthy stories: newsroom.tiktok.com
For more info, please contact:
Michelle McDevitt, Andrea Higgins, Erin Ryan, Audible Treats
Leah Linder, TikTok
The Background:
TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. Their mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy.
TikTok has global offices including Los Angeles, New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Mumbai, Singapore, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.
Links:
TikTok’s Newsroom: https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us
Check out previous editions of TikTok Treats, a weekly newsletter about the most interesting music happenings on TikTok:
Stevie Nicks, Jason Derulo, and More Highlight a Big TikTok Week
Now Here You Go Again, You Say You Want Your TikToks
Pop Smoke, 24kGoldn, Flo Milli, and Others Have Scored Multiple TikTok Hits
TikTok Salutes Its #FamiliaLatina: Music Stories from Latinx Heritage Month
Big Sean, Charlie Puth, Classical Harp, and More From TikTok
David Guetta, Sada Baby, and Rick James Are Having a Moment on TikTok
BTS Hits #1, Kendrick Plants Money Trees, and More From TikTok
Dua Lipa Levitates, J. Cole Soundtracks Glow-Ups and More TikTok Stories
TikTok: The “WAP” Dance Challenge, Folklore, La Roux, and More Provide Joy and Catharsis
Charlie Puth, Pop Smoke, and More Trending TikTok Stories
Artists Unite to Say #SaveTikTok
How TikTok Users Use the App to Boost Their Musical Careers
TikTok Doesn’t Just Mint New Hits…It Revives Old Ones
These International TikTok Artists and Hits Eliminate Language Barriers
Who’s Hot on TikTok? Jason DeRulo, Rod Wave, and More
TikTok Success = Chart Success and the Hot 100 Proves It
TikTok Users and Artists Celebrate #MyPride Through Music
TikTok Promotes a Vibrant Artistic Community with #BlackMusicMonth
