5.11.2022

TikTok Treats, Week of May 9th

True Confessions From Bieber, a New Dance From Gangnam, a Toxic Remix Goes Viral, and More From the World of TikTok

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 creators are always down for a fun challenge that allows them to introduce themselves. This week, Justin Bieber has creators in the mood to be open and “Honest” with his new single featuring Don Toliver. Taking to his own TikTok page, Justin encouraged creators to share some of their honest stories, and the community has responded in droves. With over 33.2K creations to date, the bubbling trend finds creators sharing their deepest, darkest truths using Bieber’s emphatic lyrics, “Honest (honest)/You’re modest, I like it (I like it).” While some creators come clean to their significant others about their height difference, others realize that they can’t handle the truth when they ask for it. The song has also given rise to the #nospillchallenge, defined by a dance choreographed by creator @jblazeofficial, where creators dance without spilling the drink in their hand.
- With the smooth sounds of R&B heartthrob Lucky Daye’s “Over” still sweeping through TikTok, rising R&B singer Micky Weekes has put her own “toxic” spin on the track. The TikTok community has been loving Mickey’s viral remix to “Over,” engaging with the sound to the tune of over 377k+ creations. Obliging a fan’s request to make her remix a sound on the platform, Micky has since expressed her immense gratitude for all of the creators who are blowing up her take on the song. Creators are using the sound to discuss the importance of their zodiac signs, give relationship advice, and show off their nail art skills.
- South Korean pop star PSY is no stranger to being a viral sensation, previously sparking one of the biggest dance crazes in internet history when he dropped “Gangnam Style” in 2012. Over a decade later, PSY has TikTok creators on their feet with “That That” featuring SUGA from BTS. Garnering over 157K creations to date, the TikTok community sees who can best do PSY and Suga’s dance from the official music video using the #thatthatchallenge hashtag. In most creations, TikTok users attempt the fast-paced dance alone, or with their friends, and sometimes offer creators dance tutorials on how to get it right. PSY also joined in on the fun, doing the dance with singers Soyeon of K-Pop girl group (G)I-DLE and SUGA.
- Speaking of K Pop, how about OK Pop? TikTok is known for elevating hit songs, and the recent American Song Contest on NBC provided an excellent case study for the platform’s connective power. The K-Pop influenced artist AleXa, Oklahoma’s entrant in the contest, used TikTok to grow her profile and help her song “Wonderland” to win the contest. Though she was trailing in the later rounds of the contest, AleXa overwhelmingly won the viewer vote, vaulting her song from fifth place to first place in the overall competition. Throughout the contest, AleXa documented her journey on TikTok, sharing day-in-the-life vlogs and dance videos to help her fans stay engaged. Now with over 1 million TikTok followers, AleXa is working on making her winning song a real deal hit–”Wonderland” has nearly 5,000 video creations and rising.
- TikTok can’t get enough of rising rapper Yeat and his high-octane rage rap sound. After trending earlier this year with the guitar-driven “Money So Big,” the “twizzy rich” Oregon native is at the center of another trend with his 2021 song “Swërved It.” Inspired by the song’s glitched-out intro, creators use the Datamosh filter to make distorted objects appear out of thin air. With over 124k video creations to date, “Swërved It” soundtracks the disorienting effect of being unable to focus at school (maybe due to Senioritis), or when you’re too tired to revise a rough draft. Other times, it’s the go-to sound for creators who want to show off their Datamosh editing skills.
- The beauty community on TikTok is often the engine behind viral sounds, and recently they’ve been feeling rising St. Louis rapper Big Boss Vette’s braggadocious track “Snatched.” Since Vette teased the track in March and officially released it a few weeks later, “Snatched” has racked up over 81.5K+ creations. The track has sparked a recent beauty transformation challenge, prompting creators to flaunt their glam makeup skills, their graduation looks, and their elegant prom style. Vette is excitedly interacting with the sound on her own page, even demonstrating the fun, sensual choreography to the song..
- Inspired by R&B and nascent, TikTok-popular genres like hyperpop, singer-songwriter xlovclo is having a moment on the platform. The DMV-based 19-year-old built an audience on the platform with her mutating sound, sharing snippets of her latest work to inspire excitement prior to release. In early March, xlovclo indignantly responded to a comment comparing her to WILLOW by sharing the song “WTF,” an offbeat slow jam that proves she defies easy comparison or categorization. Since then, the “WTF” snippet took on a life of its own, aided by clo’s frequent promotion and re-posting, soundtracking WTF moments, receiving a boost from Lil Nas X, and inspiring a trend where kids try to convince their parents that they made the song themselves. By March 28, the song had picked up enough momentum to warrant official release. With over 26k creations, over 1.5 million streams on Spotify, and over 1 million streams on Apple Music, “WTF” is xlovclo’s first big TikTok hit, but it’s unlikely to be her last. Clo has many more bangers on deck, including lovesick ballads and first day out anthems, and it’s only a matter of time before the wider world takes notice.

This week, ahead of the Billboard Music Awards on May 15th, TikTok and Billboard team up to present “From Sound To Song,” an initiative celebrating how fans can create hit songs on TikTok. The new initiative celebrates some hit songs that originated as TikTok sounds, many of which reached the Billboard charts. The “From Sound To Song” content hub features thumbnails for each artist and song that links directly to the song’s sound page, where users can view videos featuring the song. In addition to the new content hub, TikTok will broadcast LIVE from the BBMAs, announcing some of the award winners, starting at 11am PT/2pm ET on May 15th. The content hub is now live and accessible via the following search terms in the TikTok app: Billboard, Billboard Music Awards, BBMAs, #BBMAs, #BillboardMusicAwards, and #Billboard.

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

For more info, please contact:
Michelle McDevitt, Kerry Harrison, 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:

END

our work

clients

press releases

our team

Justin Gets “Honest,” PSY Returns, and More TikTok Stories

5.11.2022

TikTok Treats, Week of May 9th

True Confessions From Bieber, a New Dance From Gangnam, a Toxic Remix Goes Viral, and More From the World of TikTok

The News:

The Background:

Links: