5.18.2022

TikTok Treats, Week of May 16th

Bad Bunny’s New Album Sparks Multiple Hits, Kendrick Lamar Inspires Meme and Discussion, and Suki Waterhouse Goes Viral with Moody Lyrics from 2017

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. This week was dominated by the release of two very different blockbuster albums–Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti and Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. The hit-packed Un Verano Sin Ti is seemingly tailor-made for TikTok, with danceable beats and a variety of vibes to suit any mood. Kendrick’s album is less immediate, but still rewarding to experience on the platform, as it inspired a universe of videos that include analysis of the deeper themes, song covers, memes, and more. Check out how those albums made an impact, plus more:

- Bad Bunny recently scored the biggest debut week of 2022 with his album Un Verano Sin Ti, and unsurprisingly, he’s also had a massive week on TikTok. El Conejo Malo’s new album inspired multiple trending songs, led by “Tití Me Pregunto” and its 118k video creations. The bass-heavy banger soundtracks everything from lip sync videos to the making of Un Verano Sin Ti cakes. He’s also tearing up the platform with high profile collabs, with “Party ft. Rauw Alejandro” (110k video creations including ones from Rauw and Bad Bunny himself) and “Me Porto Bonito” ft. Chencho Corleone (50k+ video creations), perfect for beach dancing. In the meantime, Bad Bunny has been active on the platform, using his mambo-flavored album highlight “Despues De La Playa” to urge fans to drive the album to #1, mouthed the words to Buscabulla’s verse from “Andrea,” and shared footage of himself performing “El Apagón” (which translates to “The Blackout”) during an actual Apagón.
- Kendrick Lamar released his new album Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers last Friday, and though it’s a knotty record that defies easy interpretation, the TikTok community has been engaging with the record in their own way. Some creators share the musical moments that spoke to them, including singer Jake Rudolph who sang his own version of Sam Dew’s album opening lyrics. @Leomanzz, a tap dancer, excitedly reacted to the tap dancing motif that recurs throughout the album. The album hasn’t yet inspired a breakout hit, but with over 57 million views on the hashtag #mrmoraleandthebigsteppers, it has already inspired its fair share of analysis (check out this one highlighting the pianist Duval Timothy) and memes (user @FrakThePerson took one of Kendrick’s lyrics a bit too personally), and is sure to inspire much more as music fans on TikTok continue to dig in to Kendrick’s rich text.
- Previously making a mark on TikTok with viral tracks like “Arrebatao” and the sped up version of his song “Suave,” the sounds of Dominican dembow superstar El Alfa are taking over the platform once again. Soundtracking a lively dance challenge, El Alfa’s song “Gogo Dance” is inspiring creators to put their best moves forward and attempt the dance choreographed by creator @jramirez_34. The track has amassed over 847K+ creations across three different sounds and finds creators hitting the moves with their cute babies, with their hilarious friends after quinceanera practices, and with the support of their significant others.
- Sometimes the lyrics of a certain song happen to be the exact thing needed to put you in your feels. This reigns true for the TikTok community, as the somber lyrics of indie pop singer Suki Waterhouse, who sings “The skyline falls as I try to make sense of it all” on her 2017 track “Good Looking” (44K+ creations), have creators deep in their thoughts and even deeper in their emotions. While some creators are taking to the sound to gush about how grateful they are to have such a loving partner and explain their struggles with attachment issues, others are taking to the sound to display exactly how the lyrics of the song make them feel. Suki Waterhouse tapped into the enthusiasm around the song, posting a clip of her singing the song at her concert and duetting some of her favorite creations with the sped up, pitched version of the song. The song has taken off from TikTok to Spotify, recently reaching #1 on the U.S. Viral 50.
- Creators across TikTok can’t seem to get enough of the raunchy first verse of Memphis, TN rapper Big Boogie’s new hit “FWM.” Garnering 82.3K+ creations, the song inspires TikTok creators to show off their best hands and footwork as they do a dance by creators @travolivee and @mianmya1. While some creators show off their best moves with their besties, others bring high energy as they do their best routines with their moms. In other creations, the bouncy song soundtracks users’ gym and sports training highlights and hilariously relatable memes about being invited to an all-girls sleepover.
- Country singer Cole Swindell returned from a years-long hiatus with a new single, and fans on TikTok are excited. Country fans on the platform are currently running up “She Had Me At Heads Carolina” (10.6K+ creations),which allows them give their followers a glimpse into their country lifestyles. Using Cole’s emphatic hook, “Heads Carolina, tails California/Maybe she’d fall for a boy from South Georgia/She’s got the bar in the palm of her hand/And she’s a ’90s country fan like I am,” creators share their love for country boys, show off their Western-themed clothing hauls, and share some of their favorite activities, such as line dancing, drunken electrical bull riding, and sharing their excitement for country concerts that will happen in the summer.

This week, TikTok revealed The Showbiz List, TikTok’s premiere list recognizing and celebrating some of the incredible creators making waves in the entertainment industry. The list comprises 35 creators including filmmakers, actors, designers, musicians, stylists, and more, who turn TikTok videos into artistic masterpieces and bring the magic of Hollywood to the vertical screen. TikTok included three music creators on the list:

@abigailbarlowww & @emilythebear (Los Angeles, CA): Abigail Barlow is a Grammy award-winning singer, songwriter, and composer best known for her viral TikTok musical series: “What if Bridgerton Was A Musical?” After breaking the internet, Abigail and her writing partner Emily Bear, a Grammy Award-winning composer, producer, and chart-topping recording artist, turned this viral success into a Grammy Award-Winning Musical Theatre Album known as “The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical.” In doing so, they became the youngest composing team to ever win in this category, and made history by being the only women among their fellow nominees.

@MegaGoneFree (Queens, NY): MegaGoneFree is a Black LGBTQ+ independent artist originally from Baltimore, MD who shares her powerful and soulful melodies on TikTok. As a Black woman occupying a genre without many mainstream Black voices, she aims to create music that spreads a message of love, open-mindedness and empathy with her followers.

@sri (Dallas, TX): As a Brown woman in music, Sri uses her platform to show her audience that skin color will never stop you from doing what you love. She is well known for her viral cover of “Heather” and her TikTok videos where she showcases her talent for building harmonies and singing 30 second covers, and she most recently starred in the TikTok original musical, “For You, Paige” as the titular role of Paige.

Please reach out if interested in interviewing any of these three creators.

Read the full Showbiz List at TikTok’s newsroom: https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/announcing-the-showbiz-list-tiktoks-entertainment-industry-creators-of-2022

In addition to The Showbiz List, TikTok unveiled a new tool that better enables creator credit and equitable attribution for our creator community and content originators. These features are an important step in our ongoing commitment to investing in resources and product experiences that support a culture of credit, which is central to ensuring TikTok remains a home for creative expression. Read more about crediting creators and TIkTok’s new creator credit tool at the Newsroom: https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/crediting-tools.

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:

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On TikTok: Bad Bunny, Kendrick Lamar, and Suki Waterhouse Make Waves