1.7.2020
TikTok Treats, Week of January 4th
TikTok Heads Into the New Year With Trends from Alicia Keys and Megan Thee Stallion As the Community Pays Tribute to the Late MF DOOM
The News:
After emerging as a major force in music and culture in 2020, TikTok is showing no signs of slowing down at the dawn of the New Year. The past week brought fascinating new trends, featuring contributions from A-list stars, emerging artists, and talented creators. Here are some of the most interesting new music stories from the world of TikTok:
- Megan Thee Stallion was TikTok’s most viewed artist by catalog in 2020, and she’s already making an impact on 2021. Her latest TikTok hit is “Cry Baby,” a collaboration with fellow TikTok-popular rapper DaBaby, which has over 850k video creations and reached a new peak on the Hot 100 this week (it rose 10 spots to #57 after entering the chart at #95 two weeks ago). Spurred by a dance challenge created by @arri.arii, “Cry Baby” viral rise comes hot on the heels of Megan’s #BodyodyChallenge (over 300 million views on the hashtag).
- Alicia Keys is an active TikTok user, taking to the app to cover BTS on the piano, goof around with Jason Derulo, and show how she takes her tea (with a side of Prince). The Grammy-winning singer took note of a charming challenge (81 million video views) based on “My Boo,” her 2004 duet with Usher, in which users seamlessly segue from a sneeze into the song (“a-choo were my baby”). Earlier this week, Ms. Keys did the #myboochallenge herself in a video that generated over 10 million views, flashing her golden pipes and thanking the TikTok community for bringing the song back into prominence.
- The TikTok community is always on the lookout for new favorite artists, and if an artist has a viral hit, it becomes likely that a subsequent hit will strike a nerve as well. Rising rappers TisaKorean and Cochise have each returned to trending status after scoring big TikTok hits last year. Known for his banger “Hatchback,” which inspired over 2.3 million video creations and racked up 55 million streams on Spotify, Cochise is making waves once again with “Knicks” (over 100k creations), propelled by a dance challenge created by @bryansanon and popularized by @mariesuh. Meanwhile, “The Mop” hitmaker TisaKorean is trending once again with his 2019 song “LSD” (347k video creations), known for its “coco puffs” refrain and the dance challenge it inspired (once again created by @arri.arii in a video with over 7 million views).
- Jowell & Randy’s “Se Acabó De Cuarentena” finds the two veteran reggaetoneros daydreaming about the end of quarantine over a propulsive dembow beat. The song resonated with TikTok users eager to put the miseries of 2020 behind them and venture out once again into the outside world. With over 15 million video creations “Se Acabó De Cuarantena” is a worldwide TikTok smash, trending once again thanks to the bachata dance stylings of @poplikethstguy and @siennamae.
- The TikTok community demonstrated its mischievous creativity and offbeat sense of humor when user @poloboy layered Lady Gaga‘s 2009 hit “Just Dance” over a high-energy drill beat. The mashup works surprisingly well, as the sliding 808s fit snugly between phrases of Gaga’s declarative chorus melody. With over 80k video creations since December 27th, the new audio soundtracks an absurd trend where users dance to the song while wearing as many pairs of underwear that they can fit on their legs.
- The music world received a shock on New Year’s Eve with the announcement of the death of legendary rapper MF DOOM. The rapper’s passing saddened the TikTok community, who had long counted the villain as one of their favorite underground emcees. In December, user @m0shpitlov3r scored a viral video when she predicted what would happen if Charli D’Amelio or Addison Rae found DOOM’s music. Since his death, the TikTok community flooded the service with tributes (the hashtag #MFDOOM has over 43.5 million video views): guitar players tried their hand at the difficult riff from “Rapp Snitch Knishes,” craftspeople documented the making of one-of-a-kind items that featured his likeness, and creative collagists made video edits in which cartoon characters seem to recite DOOM’s lyrics.
One of the most thrilling aspects of TikTok is the feeling of unpredictability that it fosters. As you scroll down your “For You” page, you might encounter the latest viral dance, incisive cultural commentary, and goofy humor in quick succession. Though nobody knows precisely what 2021 will bring on TikTok, it is a safe assumption that the platform will continue to propel hits up the charts, revive old songs, mint new stars, and provide countless surprises as the year moves along.
Check out TikTok’s 2020 U.S. Music Report: https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/year-on-tiktok-music-2020
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:
Paul McCartney, Holiday Celebrations, and New Year’s Eve Live on TikTok
TikTok Releases First U.S. Music Report: Here Are Some Key Insights
How TikTok’s Top 10 Songs of 2020 Impacted the Industry
On TikTok: Lil Nas X Brings “Holiday” Cheer, Shawn Mendes Welcomes Us to His World & More
Run-DMC, MGMT, and More Noteworthy TikTok Stories
Billie Eilish and Queen Join the Party, New Viral Hits Take Flight, and More From the World of TikTok
Ariana Grande, Rick Astley and More TikTok Stories
Elton John, Tim Burton, Liam Payne and More Add Some Pumpkin Spice to the Week in TikTok
John Lennon, Oasis, George Michael, and More Score Trending Hits 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
