6.21.2023

TikTok Treats, Week of June 19th

Pinegrove’s “Need 2” Inspires a Simple, Yet Emotional Dance Trend, as Songs by Peso Pluma, Labrinth, and Dylan Scott Inspire Trends of Their Own

The News:

Each week, the TikTok Treats newsletter gives a snapshot of the state of music on TikTok, touching on trending hits, emerging artists, superstar moves, ascendant memes, and much more.

TikTok success can strike when a performing artist least suspects it. New Jersey indie rockers Pinegrove’s hybrid of alt-country and indie rock doesn’t resemble much of the music that trends on the platform. In fact, the group recently announced a hiatus following the departure of a key member. But thanks to one fan’s emotional dance, affectionately called “The Pinegrove Shuffle,” their 2014 deep cut “Need 2” is one of TikTok’s most popular songs.

A contemplative, acoustic guitar driven track, “Need 2” is superficially an unlikely song to inspire a dance challenge. However, one TikTok creator named @garrettlee39 felt differently. Locking into the song’s boom-boom-bap drum beat, he spread his metaphorical wings, loosely swinging his limbs along with the music. The unassuming video struck a chord with TikTok’s sizable community of indie rock fans, generating over 8.2 million views since its June 8th upload.

Within days, Garrett had thousands of imitators, as creators hit the newly-dubbed #pinegroveshuffle in various pastoral settings: in the countryside, at a farm, by a lakeside in the rain, or everywhere all at once. Less than two weeks after the original video, the hashtag #pinegroveshuffle has over 38 million views.

The easily imitable dance helped spread the song among TikTok’s community, allowing listeners to develop a deep connection to the song’s ramshackle instrumentation and devastating lyrics. “Need 2” has soundtracked creators’ evolving responses to trauma, important life lessons, and thought-provoking epiphanies. Others lean into irony, comparing the dance to a recent dance by DJ Khaled, or comparing the moves to the uncaring Oompa Loompas from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Another trend has emerged in parallel to the “shuffle,” as creators on #PoetryTok use “Need 2” to soundtrack some of their favorite verses or share poems of their own.

Though Pinegrove has slowed down their musical output, the TikTok success of the #pinegroveshuffle inspired them to put together a new EP highlighting “Need 2,” including sped-up and slowed versions of the song for their fans on the platform. Over the long weekend, the song reached #1 on Spotify’s US Viral 50, en route to over 12 million total streams, making the relatively unheralded B-side Pinegrove’s second-most streamed song on the service.

With 37k creations to date, “Need 2” demonstrates the evolving nature of music on TikTok. The community picks songs to suit all their emotions, and their creativity knows no bounds. Through thick and thin, they’ll keep on shufflin’.

Check out more recent trends and tidbits from the world of music on TikTok:

• Labrinth’s “Never Felt So Alone” (640K+ creations) has sparked a recent trend in the TIkTok community where creators show their love for special ones in their lives. The trend consists of creators displaying a picture of themselves with a number, then a list of numbers with assigned names, and then ends with a picture of the one they love, indicating that the number/name they chose is their loved one’s. To the hazy sounds of Labrinth, creators are showing love to their dogs, best friends, partners, and even their favorite actors.
• Dylan Scott’s country tune “Good Times Go By Too Fast” (177K+ creations) is inspiring creators to use new templates to predict how their future children will look and to display how much their children have grown up. The templates seem to be accurate when predicting babies’ looks based on photos of their parents and great at revealing how parents have grown up with their children. Dylan Scott even used the sound last fall to display how much his adorable children have grown up.
• Previously trending on TikTok with Billboard-charting hits like the Eslabon Armado-assisted “Ella Baila Sola” (3.8M+ creations) and Yng Lvcas-assisted reggaeton hit “La Bebe (Remix)” (1.8M+ creations), Peso Pluma is leading the charge in the regional Mexican music scene. His latest single “Bye” is making waves on the platform – previewed on his TikTok in May, “Bye” boasts over 327K+ creations to date. The mellow song inspires creators to use a template to share their life transformations, such as their growth from childhood to adulthood and documenting their weight loss journeys. Peso Pluma also used the sound to share behind the scenes clips from the official music video.

Visit TikTok’s Newsroom for more noteworthy stories: newsroom.tiktok.com

For more info, please contact:
Michelle McDevitt, Annjie Houston, Destiny Riley, T’Keyah Hayes, 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:
TikTok Trends Assemble: Fresh x Reckless, Taylor Swift & Much More
Madonna, Brent Faiyaz, Destroy Lonely & More from Music on TikTok
On TikTok: De La, Bieber, Tank & The Bangas, and More
On TikTok: The “Buddy Holly” Lick, Dogg Transformations, and More
RiRi Returns, Superstar Pride Shines, and TikTok Trends That Prove
On TikTok: Skrillex & Fred Again.., Philly Club, and New Trends From Rising Artists
Grammy Winners, Mariah’s “Wrap,” “Mrs. Right,” and more
Celine Brings It All Back, Tech N9ne Celebrates the Chiefs, Plus More TikTok Music Stories
Pink Floyd’s New Great Gig, PARTYNEXTDOOR’s Sped Up Makeover, & More on TikTok
Miley and Shakira Get Petty, Miguel’s “Sure Thing” Revival, and More TikTok Music Stories
TikTok Welcomes 2023 with Timbaland Jams, K-Pop Bangers, and Multilingual Raps 
Music on TikTok: 21 Savage, Mark Ronson & Amy Winehouse, and Ice Spice Headline a Star-Studded Week of Trends
SZA’s ‘SOS’ Signal, Coi and Busta Mash Up, Plus More TikTok Trends to Close Out 2022
Metro & The Weeknd, Lady Gaga, Baile Funk and More TikTok Trends to Warm Up The Winter
2022 For You: TikTok’s Top Songs, Artists, and Music Stories of 2022
Blink 182, Lil Yachty, Cardi & GloRilla, and More from Music On TikTok
Taylor Track Reveals, Sam Smith + Kim Petras, and More From Music on TikTok
BLACKPINK, Steve Lacy, and The Smashing Pumpkins Lead a Busy Week of Music on TikTok
On TikTok: ‘Yonce, Yeat, Lizzo, SZA and More
TikTok’s 2021 Music Report: Key Takeaways
TikTok Reveals Top Songs of 2021, Incl. Doja Cat, Coi Leray and More